Charming Pawse Bk III Chapt 21 Endings
by wanderingchat
Summary: As Lumpy Feldstein lies on his death bed, Unser and the members of SAMCRO that didn't go to Belfast scurry to find the person(s) responsible for the assault. All signs point to the Mayans as the culprits, but SAMCRO learns the true culprit from a surprising source. That doesn't stop Jacob Hale from using a possible gang war as a reason to eliminate CPD in favor of SJSD.


The characters and events involving the Sons of Anarchy are the creation of Kurt Sutter.

No copyright infringement is intended.

Any use of lyrics and the mention of songs and performers in this text is also not intended to infringe upon any copyrights held by any of the artists.

All original characters that are not part of the SOA universe are products of my own imagination. Any similarities to real persons are pure coincidence.

Love and thanks go to the DH, who is very much alive and well; along with my best friend and my 'unofficial' god – daughter for being part of my family. Also, much thanks to the members of , , the Indy Tarts and Tartans Gerard Butler fan group, SOA Forums, Watchers of Anarchy, Kim Sisk (author of Sapphires and Whiskey), and my Facebook and Twitter friends for their support. A big thank you for those readers who have written reviews and listed me as a favorite author here at FanFiction. Net.

**Finally, much thanks to Mr. Kurt Sutter for creating the SOA universe in the first place, and to Mr. Kim Coates for his excellent portrayal of Alex 'Tig' Trager.**

**Charming Pawse **

**Book III**

**Chapter XXI**

**Endings**

"**What a mess!" Unser muttered as he and** **his uniformed officers poured over the ****damage inside Lumpy's gym. Brass shell casings from an automatic assault rifle ** **were all over the lobby.** **Unser held one casing in a set of tweezers in order to examine it more closely. "Looks like it came from an AK – 47. Won't know for sure until ballistics takes a look at it."** **The fact that an automatic weapon had been used made the crime more serious than mere vandalism or robbery. As if it wasn't already serious enough with the ** **assault on Lumpy. This reeked of either gang or outlaw MC involvement.**

**The paramedics had taken Lumpy to St. Thomas. He had a very nasty head ** **wound. He didn't regain consciousness before he was loaded onto a stretcher. The paramedics' weren't able to provide Unser with much information, except that the former boxer was in critical condition and had lost a lot of blood. **

"**We have no way of knowing what's missing until Lumpy comes to, or we talk to his assistant," Officer Eglee observed. She stood in the center of the mess with her hands on her hips.**

"**There's one thing missing," Unser replied. He pointed to the damaged frame that had once held Lumpy's bronze medal.**

"**What was in the frame?"**

"**His Olympic medal. He kept it with him the entire time he was in the Nazi concentration camp. It's the only personal item he brought with him to the States."**

"**I'm surprised the damage is limited to this area. Why didn't they shoot up the gym?"**

"**Who knows? Maybe the perp got scared after he attacked Lumpy," Unser shrugged.**

"**Or maybe the perp was here to make it look like a robbery, but had a different ** **agenda," Eglee mused.**

**Unser gazed sharply at her. "What are you talking about?"**

"**There's been talk that someone has been coercing the property owners on this ** **street to sell. Lumpy was the only hold out."**

"**How come I'm just now hearing this?" Unser growled.**

"**No one would make an official complaint," Eglee shrugged. "I just happened to hear about it while on patrol."**

** 'Jesus Christ! That means someone deliberately made this look like club warfare!'** **Unser winced, wondering who could be trying to stir up trouble amongst the county's motorcycle clubs. He certainly intended to find out!**** "Any chance you can have the clerk's ** **office run a check on the deeds, find out who's buying the property?"**

"**We can get that easily enough," Eglee replied. "Whether that will tell us for** **certain who the buyers are remains to be seen. It's possible that there's a shell company involved, hiding the identity of the buyer or buyers."**

"**Still, it'll be a place to start," Unser replied. "My eyes only."** **He dug his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed the number for Cat Trager's** **hospital room. She and Tig were listed as Lumpy's emergency contacts. Unser ** **figured she'd know how to contact Tig and tell him about Lumpy. ** **Unser wasn't thrilled about breaking the news to the SAA. Their last conversation ** **hadn't been very pleasant. H****e instructed the operator to allow the room phone ** **to ring several times, in case the patient was heavily sedated.**

**A series of loud rings trilled in both Cat's and Alex's cotton filled brains. Alex burrowed his head deeper into his pillow in hopes that whoever was calling would give up. ** **Cat couldn't ignore the sound as easily. It was grating on her ears and her nerves. She fought her way out of the cocoon her mind was in, reached across to the bedside table, and fumbled for the receiver. Her "Hello?" was a cross between a mumble and a snore. **

**"Cat wake up!" Unser shouted.**

"**Cripes! Do y'all have to be so bloody loud?" She complained. "Who the Hell ** **is this, anyway?" **

"**It's Wayne, Cat. I'm sorry to wake you. Do you know where I can find Tig?"**

**"Why?" She asked guardedly. "Got some more violations to tag onto his license?"**

**"Owtch!" He winced. "That wasn't necessary!"**

**"Sorry. Get a little grumpy when I'm unexpectedly woken up," she apologized ** **gruffly. "He's right here. Hang on."** **She put the receiver down on the table and nudged Alex. He was stretched out on ** **the bed beside her. He'd wrapped both arms protectively around her.** **Alex groaned and buried his face in her neck. "Whoever it is tell 'em to fuck off!"**

**"It's the police chief, love. He sounds serious."**

**"So'm I. Whatever it is can wait until a more decent hour!"**

**Cat picked up the receiver again, holding it to her other ear so Alex would be able to ****hear what the chief had to say. "Sorry, Wayne. He's like a hibernating bear when he's sleepin'. Anything I can help you with?"**

**"He's just gonna have to wake up, I've got bad news. Lumpy's been attacked, he's on his way to St. Thomas."**

**Alex took the phone from her as soon as Unser's announcement registered in his ** **sleep fogged mind. "What the fuck do you mean, Lumpy got attacked?"**

**"Just what I said," Unser replied succinctly.**

**Cat slid from the bed while Alex was getting intel from the police chief. She ** **knew why Unser was calling them about Lumpy's injury; they'd be needed in the ** **ER. 'And there's no way I'm stayin' here waitin' for news!' she thought, shedding her hospital garb and reaching into the closet for her street clothes. **

**"What the Hell do ya think you're doin', woman?" He snarled.**

**"Getting dressed. Lumpy is gonna need us," she replied.**

**"Like Hell ya are!"**

**Unser whistled shrilly into his phone. The sound made Tig wince, but it got his ** **attention.** **"Shit!" Tig complained, rubbing his ringing ear. "That hurt!"**

**"Good!" Unser replied tersely. "Are ya gonna talk to me or order your woman ** **around like a caveman?"**

**"Both! How'd it happen?" He replied. 'And what the fuck happened to ** **Sebastian?'**

**Unser shared what little he knew, based on the anonymous 911 call and what he'd been able to determine since arriving on the scene. "The ambulance left with Lumpy some 10 minutes ago," he added.**

**"Shit! Anything else I need to know?" Tig massaged the bridge of his nose with his free hand.**

**Cat continued dressing. She'd struggled into her pants and shirt, and was working on getting her boots secured. She was listening to Alex's side of the conversation, and didn't like what she heard.**

**"No. Seems that Lumpy was alone when the break in occurred. I hope to talk to ** **him when he comes to," Unser replied.**

**"Keep me posted. You can reach me on Cat's cell phone," Alex replied. He ** **returned the receiver to the cradle, swung his legs over the side of the bed, and growled, "You're _not_ goin' down to the ER, woman! Ya heard what the doctors said!"**

**"I can rest just as well in the waitin' room as I can up here. Especially if you're goin' down there!" She replied evenly. "Besides, y'all told Unser he could reach you on my cell phone!"**

"**I intended to take it with me!" He retorted hotly.**

"**Not without me along you're not!" She growled.**

"**Why not? Ya got pictures of hot men ya don't want me to see?"** "**Of course not! Y'all wouldn't want me carryin' your burner around without your ** **presence. Same thing. Besides, someone has to fill out the paperwork for Lumpy! Do you want to do it?"**

**"Damn you," he growled. "I hate it when you're right."**

**"Love y'all too," she winked.**

**He felt that tingle run through his system whenever she said that to him. "Look, Cat, if ya take off without tellin' someone where you're goin', they'll strap ya back to the bed again!"**

**"And y'all are complainin'?"**

**"I'd like to be around this time to see it happen," he grinned slyly. "But I'm willin' to compromise with ya. If you'll tell someone at the nurse's stations you're goin' to the ER, I'll take ya."**

**"I accept that," she agreed. "I was gonna do it anyway, but you're so cute when ** **y'all beg!"**

**"You're gonna pay for that, woman!" He snarled.**

**"That'll have to wait, love. Lumpy needs us," she slipped out the door while ** **Alex finished dressing. He attached his knife to his belt and ran out the door ** **after her, leaving the ties to the holster flapping in the breeze.**

**To his relief, Cat had limped to the nurses's station, and was explaining the situation to the nurse on duty when he caught up with her.** "**He's a friend to us," she continued, nodding at her husband. "We need to be ** **there."**

**"I'll make sure she doesn't overdo," Alex added, coming up behind her and ** **placing his arm protectively around her shoulders. **

**"It's unusual, but it's not against the rules," the nurse on duty replied. "I'll be sure to inform the next shift if you're not back in your room by then." **

**"And you, woman, are _not_ walkin' to he ER!" Alex announced. ** **"Oh? And how do you suggest I get there? Fly?"**

**He left her side long enough to retrieve a wheelchair and piloted it to her side. "Your ride, wife!" **

* * *

**The ER waiting area was vacant and quiet. There was noone else present but the desk clerk when Alex piloted Cat into the lobby. ** **Flashing red and white lights flickered off the walls from the automatic glass entry doors. **

**"Do y'all think that's the ambulance that brought Lumpy in?" She inquired softly as Alex piloted the wheelchair to a couch.**

**"Dunno, baby. I'll find out in a minute," he assured her, pointing at the couch. "Meantime, ya need to lay down on that." **

**She glanced up inquiringly at him. "Aren't we kinda takin' over here?"**

"**Don't hear anybody complainin'," he replied. "So what's the problem?"**

"**None, except for your caveman attitude!" She grumbled, slipping from the chair ** **to the couch. She glared up at him and added, "Well? Are y'all just gonna stand there and look pleased with yourself, or are y'all gonna sit down?"**

"**I'm gonna get those frackin' papers for ya to fill out, and let the desk person know we're here for Lump," Alex grinned. "_Then_ I'll sit with ya!"**

"**What a guy!" She gushed enthusiastically, earning his own version of 'The Look'. She laughed and watched as he strode across the waiting room to the front desk.** **A few moments later, he returned with a clipboard and pen, extending the items ** **to her. "They're already workin' on Lump," he informed her. His face was full of worry and misery, which changed to one of indignant frustration with her for remaining in a seated position.**

**She ignored his indignant glare and invitingly patted the cushion where he'd ** **expected her head to be laying. "Cop a squat, love. You can be useful as well ** **as ornamental again."**

"**So I'm a pillow now, is that it?" He grumbled, settling onto the sofa.**

**She placed her head in his lap, grinning mischievously up at him. "A **_**very **_ **comfortable pillow," she assured him.**

"**Sure there ain't no lumps under your head?" He smirked.**

"**Nothin' I can't deal with," she replied with a straight face, though both eyes were twinkling at him.**

"**Just lemme know if your head starts hurtin'," he instructed, his voice full of ** **concern.**

"**No reason it should," she frowned. "I **_**did**_** sleep pretty well earlier."**

"**I'd have preferred it if ya were still sleepin' where ya belong – in your bed!" He growled, draping his arm around her waist.**

"**You, my love, have a one track mind when it comes to me!" She grinned at him and started to work on filling out the forms. She left the insurance information blank. "They can get that from his wallet later," she stated, sitting up enough to allow Alex to get up to take the forms back to the desk ** **clerk.** **She resumed the same position when he returned, sighing in contentment. She ** **gazed up at his face, noting the depth of his concern. "You're worried. Don't be. Lumpy'll be OK."**

"**Yeah, among other things," he agreed brusquely. He was beating himself up inside about leaving Sebastian to guard Lumpy. Obviously that hadn't been such a good idea. He kept waiting for Cat to tell him she'd been right.**

"**What other things?" She inquired sharply, noticing how he kept looking at her like he'd not seen her before.**

"**Nothin' important," he replied evasively.**

"**Did y'all have another bad dream?"**

"**Yeah, sure!" He agreed quickly, a little **_**too**_** quickly for her liking.**

**She struggled to sit up, only to be held forcefully in place. "Relax, baby. It's nothin'."**

"**It **_**is**_** somethin' if it's got y'all wound up like a model plane propeller!" She protested. "Is it club business that y'all can't share with me?"**

**He shook his head. He really didn't want to tell her that he knew all about her past with 'Brownie' and that it was bothering him more than Lumpy's injury. They had enough to contend with at the moment. ** **"No, baby. It's not club business," he replied softly. **

**"Then talk to me, love. What's wrong?" She gazed earnestly up at him, placing her injured hand against his cheek. "Let me help." **

**He closed his eyes, drawing in a deep, shuddering breath. 'We've gotta discuss this sometime. No one around to hear us and we might get another chance like this,' he thought to himself. He entwined his fingers in hers, holding tight to them. "Cat, baby,**_** why**_** did I have to get the true story about what what that 'Brownie' asshat did to ya from someone else?"**

**She flushed guiltily and struggled again to sit up, but his arm around her waist held her in place as effectively as if she were strapped down. "Who?"**

"**The doctor showed me the X – Rays. You had some pretty old and serious injuries, baby. June filled in the blanks," he admitted.**

**She snorted and glowered at the ceiling. "Shit!"**

"**C'mon, don't be like that, baby! She felt I needed to know, and she was right!" He cajoled. His eyes twinkled as he added, "Hell, I'd be sportin' snow white hair by the time ya decided to tell me!"**

"**I resemble that remark," she grumbled. "Y'all would probably have handled the ** **news a lot better by then!"**

"**I doubt it. No man likes to hear that his woman nearly died when he was led to ** **believe somethin' else!" His voice was rough, but his thumb rubbed across the ** **back of her hand in a soothing manner, taking the sting out of the words.**

**She sighed in resignation. "Y'all got worked up enough just hearin' that he hit me **_**once**_**. I was afraid of how you'd react if y'all found out the rest. Not to mention that it just seemed so incredible for one person to do so much evil."**

"**Did ya think I wouldn't believe ya?"**

**Her miserable expression was all the answer he needed.** "**Jesus Christ, woman!" He exploded. He glanced around to see if anyone had heard ****then lowered his voice. "Ya have a bad habit of selective sharin'!" **

**"It's always with your best interest at heart," she pouted.**

**"I know. But why the Hell would I think you were lyin' about somethin' like **_**that**_**?"**

**She shuddered to recall all that she'd endured at 'Brownie's' hands so long ** **ago. "Love, **_**I**_** have trouble believin' it at times! Hell, it sounds like somethin' straight outta a Stephen King novel!"**

"**I wouldn't go **_**that**_** far, baby," he assured her. "Though the man sure as Hell ** **makes _me_ look like a saint!"**

"**Oh, Lord! We're all in trouble then!"**

"**Real funny woman!" He growled. "I suppose ya told Bill the unedited version!"**

**She winced at the hurt tone in his voice. "No love. He knew more than y'all did, but not everything. Bill was always so damn inscrutable about stuff like that. He ** **might've been upset but he never let it show. You, my love, emote. A lot."**

"**True dat," he reluctantly admitted. "Ya still should've told me everything, baby."**

"**I know and I'm sorry for holdin' back, love. That time of my life isn't exactly somethin' I'm proud of."**

"**Nothin' for ya to be ashamed of, either!" He protested.**

"**Easy for you to say!" She retorted. "l **_**am**_** ashamed. He played me like Liberace ** **played the Steinway!"**

"**That's the key word, baby. He never gave a shit about you. All you were was a means to an end." His expression darkened as he added, "You **_**do **_**realize ** **that the asshole is dead if I ever cross paths with him." He didn't pose it as ** **a question, but as a statement of fact.**

"**Yeah, I figured that out," she replied. "Like I told June, if he hasn't found ** **me in all these years, the chances of him findin' me now are slim and none."**

"**I'd feel better if it was none," he stated flatly. His free hand roamed over her chest. He reacted with a sly grin that she'd neglected to put on the tit sling, and ** **couldn't resist rubbing the nipple that had nearly been bitten off long ago. 'Wonder why I never noticed any damage to it?' He mused to himself.**

"**Do y'all mind?" Cat snatched at his wandering hand and held it near her ** **throat. "We **_**are**_** in a public area!"**

"**But nobody's watchin'!" He protested.**

"**Frankly, I'd rather **_**not**_** be givin' the security boys monitorin' the cameras a ** **cheap thrill," she grimaced, pointing at the little round globe in the corner. "Damn thing might wind up goin' viral!"**

**Alex huffed in exasperation, but allowed her to maintain possession of his 'rushin' hand'. His thumb was close enough to caress the scar on her throat. "So now I know how this was **_**really**_** done to ya," he sighed. "Mind tellin' me somethin', baby?"**

"**I guess not. Y'all are welcome to ask."**

"**After everything that asshat put ya through, why didn't ya turn out to be one ** **of them timid women around men?"**

**She gazed into his eyes and grinned a bit. "Especially dangerous men like y'all?"**

"**Well, yeah!"**

**She considered the question for a moment before answering. "Because that would've been a win in his column, and I wasn't about to let him have the satisfaction," she stated. "I had to learn the lesson again with the drunken dope fiend. He stole from me too, and cheated, but he wasn't devious as 'Brownie'. He was just more in love with the high than anything else. Once I came to realize that, it was easy to turn him out. After that, I was more selective about givin' my heart to someone."**

**"Oh?" **

**She gazed up at him, then drew his face down towards hers. "Yeah, the last two times I've taken a chance, I've come up with the jackpot," she whispered.**

**Alex felt his insides melt in response to her statement. He rewarded her with a passionate kiss. He admired her spunk, even though it often infuriated him, and to know he was one of only two men she'd chosen to commit to made him feel special.** **He wasn't able to find the words to express his feelings when he released her lips, so he changed the subject. "Tell ya this much, I'll be glad when those tests ** **are done and we know what we're facin' down the road!"**

**Cat felt warmth spread over her. The fact that he said 'we' instead of 'you' meant much to her. "I like the way y'all phrased that."**

"**We **_**are**_** in this together, baby," he acknowledged. "Now shut the fuck up and** **rest awhile."**

**She situated her head against his stomach and rubbed her cheek against his arm. ** "**Still upset with me?"**

"**Yeah, but I'll get over it. Go to sleep now."** **She inhaled his scent of tobacco smoke, the outdoors, soap, and gasoline along with his maleness. The scent comforted her as much as his presence.** "**Promise to wake me when the doctor brings news about Lumpy?" She murmured sleepily, losing the on - going battle to keep her eyes open. **

**"Absolutely," he promised, stroking her hair as she relaxed. He was content to have her waiting with him for news ** **of the gym owner's condition. He was happy that she hadn't said one word about Sebastian. If anyone was entitled to say, 'I told y'all so', it was Cat. He knew she never would say that to him.**

* * *

**Agent Tyler lay awake in the bed she shared with Stahl. Her lover was sound ** **asleep, one arm draped over Tyler's waist.** **The agent was concerned about Stahl's clandestine call from Jax Teller. From** **what she heard, it sounded like the Sons were out of the country, which was a** **direct violation of their bail.** '**Why would Jax Teller be calling her and asking for intel on an Irish priest?** **Why is SAMCRO out of the country and why didn't she report it?' **

**Her mind begged ** **for answers that she couldn't provide, and was afraid to ask directly of Stahl.** **Tyler had lost all trust in Stahl since that night when Teller had rung their ** **doorbell. Stahl had been evasive about the visit, shrugging it off as no ** **consequence. The arrest of Jimmy O's lieutenant a few hours later had seemed** **too easy, as if Stahl had known in advance that it would happen.**

**She knew in her gut that Stahl had set her up in Gemma Morrow's recorded** **statement. Who else could've provided her name to the woman? 'She's never seen ** **me and vice versa! None of the other members of the team had any contact with ** **her! The guards were always outside her hospital room door!'**

**She didn't have anything but her gut feeling, certainly nothing that she could ** **take to a supervisor. Gut feelings were fine in the field, but when it came to ** **accusing a fellow agent of anything, Tyler knew it was best to have concrete ** **evidence to support the accusation.**

'**Stahl's setting me up to take a fall for Edmond Hayes's shooting, that's all ** **there is to it. It's been proven that Gemma shot Polly Zobelle in self – ** **defense, so she's clear of that kill. Why is Stahl trying to pin this on me? ** **Does she consider me some kind of a threat?'**

**Tyler couldn't fathom why Stahl would hook up with her only to betray her later. ** **It didn't make sense. The more she puzzled, the more confused she felt.** **Tyler turned over to her side and sighed wearily. All this worry was wearing ** **her out. She couldn't sleep right, she could barely hold down any food. The ** **mere thought of having Stahl touch her made her skin crawl, though she tried ** **hard not to flinch whenever Stahl was near.**

**Stahl turned in her sleep and snuggled closer to Tyler. It was the last** **thing the other agent wanted. She forced herself to remain relaxed and pretend ** **to be asleep.** **If Tyler had eyes in the back of her head, she would have seen that Stahl was** **also only pretending to sleep. Her eyes were wide open, watching Tyler closely. She could tell that Anne tensed whenever she touched her, though she was doing a good job of trying to cover it. No doubt about it, Stahl knew she needed to be more ** **watchful than ever of her soon to be former lover.**

* * *

**'There's **_**still**_** somethin' about that intel June gave me that doesn't jive with why Cat left Indiana after Bill was killed,' Alex thought to himself as he waited for the ER doctor treating Lumpy to bring them news. ****He absently stroked her hair with one hand, ****his other arm was still around her waist and holding her injured hand in his. Cat was sleeping soundly, a look of complete contentment on her face. **

**'Her mother's actions after Bill died wouldn't have been enough to send her packin'. Somethin' - or **_**someone**_** - else made her decide to relocate!' **

**He considered calling June back to confirm his assessment, but realized how early in the morning it was on the East Coast. 'Shit! She'll be gettin' ready for work; doesn't have time to deal with this right now. I'll just hafta talk to Cat about it later.' **

**Since his phone was already out, he scrolled through his contacts and pressed the code for Kozik. **

**Kozik heard the motorcycle sound from his cellphone, which he'd placed on the charger and left on the bedside table. He groped for it in the dark, not wanting to awaken Ima and squinted at the caller ID. **

**"Do ya realize what fuckin' time it is, asshole?" He grumbled into the mouthpiece. **

**"Yeah, I know," Tig replied almost apologetically. "Ya need to come to St. Thomas ER. Lump's been hurt." **

**Kozik was wide awake from that pronouncement. He was just as surprised by the gruff ****apology in Tig's voice as he was by the news. "What the fuck happened?" **

**"Dunno. Unser called Cat's room phone, said someone shot up the gym's lobby and put the beat down on Lump. He's in the ER now. Cat and I are waitin' for word."**

**"What about Sebastian?"**

**Tig snorted in derision. "Dunno that either. Unser didn't say anything and he wasn't brought in with Lump. Thought ya might wanna know about Lumpy." **

**"I'm on my way!" Kozik exclaimed, throwing the covers off him as he spoke. **

**"Ya don't have to," Tig replied. **

**"Try and stop me," Kozik snarled, ending the call before Tig could reply. **

**Ima stirred next to him, awake from feeling the cool air on her uncovered body and from Kozik's voice. "What's wrong, lover?" She asked sleepily. **

**"Tig called. Lumpy's at St. Thomas." Kozik explained, sliding into his jeans and a shirt. **

**Ima was immediately wide awake. "You're going over there," she stated, reaching for a robe as she rose from the bed. **

**"Yeah. Go back to bed baby. Dunno how long I'm gonna be or when I'll be back." **

**"Give me a couple of minutes to dress, I'm coming with you," she stated. **

**Kozik stopped dressing long enough to look at her. "You sure? Tig's there. So's his old lady." **

**"Then I'll even the odds, won't I?" She smiled slightly, grabbing her sweats and fresh underwear on her way to the bathroom.**

**Kozik followed her progress with admiring eyes. After she shut the door behind her, he **** continued dressing, adding his knife and holster to his belt. **

**Two minutes later, Ima exited the bathroom, dressed in her sweatsuit with her hair tied in a pony tail. "It's not glamorous, but it'll do." **

**"Grab a jacket, baby," Kozik advised her, heading towards the closet for his cut. He slipped into it while Ima shrugged into a leather jacket of her own. **

**She followed him out of the apartment to his bike, not arguing when he handed his helmet to her. "I gotta remember to get a helmet for ya, baby," he murmured, straddling his bike and holding it steady for her. **

**Ima secured the helmet and climbed onto the seat behind him. She slid her arms around his waist and signaled she was ready. He started the Harley and sped off from the parking lot towards the hospital. **

**Cat stirred in Alex's lap as he slid his cell phone back into his pocket. "Who were y'all talkin' to?" She yawned.**

**"Kozik. Figured he oughta know about Lump," Alex replied gruffly.**

**"Good idea. I take it the doctor's not been out." She plucked at the arm that was holding her down, indicating she wanted to change positions.**

**Alex appreciated that she didn't make a big deal out of his contacting Kozik but sighed in resignation that she wasn't willing to go back to sleep. He reluctantly allowed her to sit up next to him. "No baby. And I'm gettin' worried. He's been in there a long time!"**

**"Well, as these things go, they know we're here for Lumpy, and maybe it's a good sign that it's takin' a little time," she assured him. "At least that means he has a fightin' chance."**

**Alex slipped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. "I like the way ya think, baby."**

"**Just tryin' to find the bright side to this, if there is one," she replied.**

"**Speakin' of bright sides, and since you're awake, I gotta ask ya somethin'." ** **'I've got a bad feelin' about this!" Cat glanced out the side of her eye at him.** **"What's that, love?"**

**"It's about your decision to leave Indiana to come here."**

**"I **_**told**_** Otto and you everything there was to tell!" She protested. **

**"Did ya****?" He asked quietly.**

"**Y'all have your doubts, apparently. Why?"**

**"'Cause I didn't know then just what a fucktard that 'Brownie' character is. It occurred to me that your mom's behavior had nothin' to do with the move. You uprooted yourself because **_**he**_** came after ya," Alex stated softly.**

"**Do y'all **_**really**_** wanna go over this now?" She complained. **

"**Might as well while we're waitin' on Kozik," Alex countered. "Get it all over with at last."**

"**Jesus Christ! 'Brownie' is worse than the bad penny when it comes to turnin' up ** **when a body least expects it!" Cat grumbled.**

**"So I'm right," Alex observed, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Look, baby. I understand why ya gave me the condensed version. Now's the time for the rest of the story. I promise we'll never speak of it again after this."**

**She glanced out the side of her eye again, then sighed and stared out ahead of her. "Guess I might as well heed Coach Knight's infamous comment and give in. Y'all will just keep after me 'til I do anyway!" **

**"That's true," Alex replied unrepentantly.**

* * *

_**Once she recovered from the beating, Cat found work at one of the other radio stations in Terre Haute. She was able to function normally, but she was always on the watch for 'Brownie' to return and finish what he'd started. She knew she'd made an enemy out of him and that he wouldn't rest until he received satisfaction. **_

_**She retrieved Uhura from her father and they moved to an apartment unit outside the city limits. She didn't go back to school, but did resume riding with the 'Kittens'. The MC considered her a friend, and regularly watched out for her. **_ _**Cat didn't feel safe for a full year after the beating.**_

_** Because there had been no sightings of 'Brownie', her life had fallen into a comfortable routine until a rainy afternoon when she was on her way home from work. Her car came to a sudden halt in the middle of the highway. To her horror, the right front wheel and tire continued rolling down the side of the road, away from the car. **_ _**The car wouldn't move on three wheels. All she could do was turn on the flashers and pray no one would hit her. **_

_**A semi - trailer driver saw the car fail, pulled to a stop behind her, his own flashers blinking furiously. He radioed for a tow truck for her and stayed with her until the tow truck arrived. **_ _**The repair shop uncovered evidence that the car had been tampered with. The lug nuts had been loosened on all four wheels. The Plymouth Horizon that had replaced her Satellite had rubber covers over the lug nuts. Those covers had hidden the tampering. As she drove the vehicle, the natural vibrations continued to loosen the nuts, until the covers popped off and the lug nuts couldn't hold the tire to the hub. **_

_**"You're lucky that only **_**one**_** of the wheels came off, Ms. Marshall," the mechanic **_ _**informed her, after showing her the sheared pins on the wheel.**_ _**Cat filed a police report, but didn't expect anything to come of it. She immediately knew who was behind the sabotage, but had no way to prove it.**_

_**The MC believed her, and resumed their search, but was again frustrated by the wily former prospect. **_ _**"**_

_**It's like he's a fuckin' ghost!" Glen Kimmel, the SAA grumbled. **_

_**"Welcome to my world," Cat murmured. **_

_**"Well, ya can't live out here anymore. It's obvious he did this at night while ya slept. There's no way he woulda done the deed in broad daylight!" Ken informed her. **_

_**"Way ahead of ya, boss. I've already started lookin' for a new place." **_

_**A week later, the MC helped her move back into town, into a small house just three blocks from work. The house was located on a heavily traveled street. **_ _**"We'll be able to ride by more often, kitten," Ken assured her. "We'll keep ya safe." **_

_**Despite the MC's and Cat's renewed vigilance, random acts of vandalism continued to occur to both her bike and her car. She began seeking employment outside of Terre Haute, and decided to get out of broadcasting and journalism in order to be less in the public - and 'Brownie's' - eye. **_ _**She landed employment in Indianapolis where she felt confident she would be safe from 'Brownie'. **_

_**That was where she hooked up with the drunken dope fiend and learned valuable lessons about the heavily addicted. **_ _**Before she broke it off with the fiend, she met Bill, who became a good friend to her, often bailing her out of bad situations - both monetarily and emotionally. The friendship deepened into something more, so that they became man and wife. **_

_**Over the next several years, Cat managed to forget that 'Brownie' had ever been a part of her life. She had no fear that he'd find her. She'd taken Bill's last name and they had an unlisted telephone number. None of her friends and family would ever knowingly give 'Brownie' any information on her, including the MC and the 'Kittens'.**_

_**The first warning that 'Brownie' was still looking for her came after her father retired. She and Bill were visiting Blaine for Christmas, and he related an interesting phone call he'd taken about her. **_ "_**I spoke to that man who hurt you so badly," Blaine announced. **_

_**"Oh, no! Why, Daddy?" She cried, more out of fear for him than herself. **_

_**"He kept calling the minister at my last appointment, asking him to get in contact with me. It was the only thing I could think of to give the man some peace, short of changing the parsonage phone number." **_

_**"Which knowin' 'Brownie', wouldn't have worked long," Cat observed dryly. "What did he want?"**_

"_**He claimed he wanted to apologize to you, and wanted to know how to contact **_ _**you. I told him you were well and happily married, and that you desired no contact from him," her father reported.**_

"_**What'd he say to that?"**_

"_**Nothing much he could say, honey. I let him know he is persona non grata, and **_ _**it'd be best for him not to contact me again."**_

"_**I hope you used blocked your telephone number!" She cried, though she also realized that if 'Brownie' really wanted to do so, he could find her **_ _**father; he had a published number.**_

"_**I did," the retired minister assured her. "If he tries anything, I can get the **_ _**sheriff out here toot sweet!"**_

"_**I hope so, Daddy. I'd hate to find out he was takin' his anger and hatred for **_ _**me out on y'all."**_

_**The knowledge that 'Brownie' was still looking for her shattered her sense of security. She became more watchful and cautious about her daily activities. She kept her baseball bat in the car, and resorted to screening her calls via caller ID and answering machine.**_

_**As a member of the Army Reserve, Bill had a personal firearm issued to him, and **_ _**he felt it best that she learn to use it. She became good at shooting, just as she'd been a good target archer in high school and college.**_ _**It never occurred to her to ask the MC to keep an eye out for 'Brownie'. Ken and Glen had died in separate accidents and the new officers had little knowledge of her, much less of the MC's renegade one – time prospect. She could no longer rely on t**__**he 'Cruisin' Kittens' for intel, either. The group had disbanded several years after her marriage. **_

_**Her father remained safe, and when considerable time passed with no letters, calls, or appearances by 'Brownie', Cat relaxed again. She even managed to **_ _**forget about him until the day before Bill's funeral.**_

"**So that's when he found ya," Alex growled.**

**She nodded. "Though he'd actually been searchin' for me prior to Bill's murder."**

**"What? How?"**

**"Remember, Daddy had told him I'd married. 'Brownie' is an asshole, but he's also smart. He knew how to use a library and many of 'em carried all the newspapers in the state. He looked through 'em to find the notice of our marriage license. The Indy papers even printed our address at the time!"**

**"Shit! The fucktard started with that address! Once he knew ya were in Indianapolis, he knew it'd be a matter of time!"**

**Cat nodded. "Exactly, love. When Bill's murder made headlines, he was able to locate the funeral home, and made a simple phone call, pretending to be a delivery person for a florist. He told 'em he needed to verify my address and they gave it to him. He was waitin' in front of the house the night before the funeral."**

_**Cat begged out of joining the entire family for dinner after the emotionally trying visit to the funeral home to select all the associated paraphernalia that went into Bill's funeral. '"I never thought so much was involved in somethin' like this!" She explained. "I'm wiped out!"**_

"_**You've got to eat **_**something**_**!" Mama McLaughlin protested.**_

"_**I will," she promised. "Later. I just need some quiet and space."**_

_**They reluctantly let her return to the house alone. The sun was setting as she **__**pulled into the driveway. A sense of loss came over her at the sight of her **_ _**husband's car. He'd never drive it again, and she'd never hear his voice as he **_ _**came into the front door from work.**_

_**A strange vehicle was parked right in front of the house, which caused a prickle of annoyance run through her. **_

_**'Forgive me for the uncharitable thoughts, Lord, but I'm really not up to any visitors right now, no matter how sincere the condolence intended!"**_

_**The driver of the vehicle, a beater that had seen better days, exited it the minute she opened her car door. The driver was a man of slight build, clean shaven, with long white hair and piercing blue eyes. "Hello, Cat," the voice announced, turning her blood into ice. "It's been a long time."**_ _**The voice was one she'd never forget, though the face and hair had changed. **_

_**"Not long enough. You need to leave," she retorted gruffly.**_

"_**Aw, c'mon! Is that any way to treat someone who's come to express his **_ _**condolences at your loss?" He advanced slowly towards her, arms held out from **_ _**his sides to show he wasn't armed.**_

_**Cat remained near her open driver's side door, ready to scramble back into the **_ _**relative safety of the car if it was necessary. "Considerin' the way we last **_ _**parted company, I'd say it's more than appropriate!" She growled. "I'm really not interested in anything y'all have to say. I'd rather you leave. If y'all won't, I will!"**_ _**She slid into the driver's seat and pulled the door shut, locking all the doors **_ _**with the power switch. She started the engine and hurriedly backed out of the **_ _**driveway, dialing 9 – 1- 1 on her cell phone. She couldn't see where he was **_ _**standing, and half hoped she'd hit him with the car.**_

'_**Brownie' moved out of harm's way when the PT's engine fired up. He stood **_ _**on the opposite side of his car, staring after her retreating car. He grinned **_ _**wickedly. Her reaction hadn't surprised him. 'This is only the beginning, bitch!'**_

_**He drove to Cat's birth mother's home to implement the second part of his plan. **_ _**It took little effort for him to convince the mentally ill woman that he was **_ _**affiliated with her case worker, and that they had determined her daughter had **_ _**indeed turned against her. "We can make your life better, Mrs. Humphries," he informed her. "I can get you to the family dinner tomorrow so you can confront her about not being allowed to attend the funeral. We feel that will be **_ _**beneficial to you. We can also get any items in her possession you believe **_ _**belong to you."**_

"_**You'd do that?" Mrs. Humphries inquired, thinking of the electronics,the cats, and all the other things she'd wanted from her daughter and been denied. "Do you think my ex – husband will be there too?"**_

"_**I'm sure of it!" He assured her. He handed over some $20 bills and a card **_ _**with a typed address on it. "Take a cab to this church tomorrow afternoon. **_ _**That's where the family dinner will be held. In the meantime, I need for you to make a call for me, to have a key made for her house."**_

_**A maniacal gleam lit the elderly woman's eyes. She made the call, and **_ _**accompanied 'Brownie' to Cat's house, which she'd never seen in all the years **_ _**she'd lived there with Bill.**_ '_**Brownie' had to lower the window on his side of the car for the trip. Mrs. **_ _**Humphries wasn't taking care of herself, and that made it difficult for him to **_ _**be in closed confines with her. Enduring some temporary discomfort over **_ _**excessive body odor was worth the end result he envisioned.**_

"_**All that room, and she wouldn't let me live here!" Mrs. Humphries snarled when **_ _**she saw the outside of the McLaughlin home.**_

"_**It's not your fault, Mrs. Humphries," 'Brownie' replied soothingly. "Your **_ _**daughter is, as you claimed all these years, very selfish. We're out to rectify **_ _**that."**_ _**The locksmith was waiting for them when they arrived. Mrs. Humphries introduced **_ _**herself as the homeowner, and that her ID was locked inside the house. The **_ _**locksmith quickly unlocked the front door and gave her a key without asking for **_ _**ID.**_

"_**Don't go inside, Mrs. Humphries. You can go in tomorrow to show me what you **_ _**want," 'Brownie' cautioned her. "We need to leave before Cat gets back."**_

_** Mrs. **_ _**Humphries meekly obeyed him.**_ '_**Brownie' returned her to her home and reminded her that he would pick her up **_ _**from the church the next day. "I'll have a box truck and some hired help to get **_ _**those items. Be ready."**_

"_**I will!" Mrs. Humphries promised.**_

_**As Cat sped away from her home and 'Brownie', she tersely informed the operator that she needed to meet with an officer at the pharmacy parking lot she was driving to. "There's a suspicious person at my home; he nearly killed me a few years ago. I thought it prudent to leave the house."**_

"_**He didn't hurt you, did he?"**_

"_**I didn't give him the chance!" Cat assured the operator.**_

_**She waited impatiently at the parking lot until two squad cars pulled up on **_ _**either side of her PT. She described 'Brownie' to the officers, along with the **_ _**unwanted encounter at her home. "If y'all contact Terre Haute PD, they'll have **_ _**records of the assault. They gave up lookin' for him years ago. The only **_ _**reason he's come outta the woodwork is because my husband died and he thinks **_ _**he's got somethin' to gain!"**_

_**The officers were surprised the woman was talking so calmly to them. Many women **_ _**in similar situations would cry from fear or shout with rage. Though they could **_ _**see that Cat was righteously angry, they appreciated her ability to give them **_ _**valuable information in a controlled manner.**_

_**The cops followed her back to her home, though she had a strong suspicion that **_ '_**Brownie' didn't hang around after she left. Sure enough, the beater was gone **_ _**and her driveway empty except for Bill's car. "I knew he'd take off like a sneak **_ _**thief!" She snarled. "And I know him well enough that this won't be the last **_ _**sighting!"**_

_**The cops apologized and offered to have a patrol car drive by a few times during **_ _**the night. "Is there anyone you want us to call for you?"**_

"_**Nah. I've got people stayin' with me. I'll be OK."**_

"**Did he come back that night?" Alex inquired.** "**No. It turned out that 'Brownie' facilitated the pillaging of the house during the funeral." **

**"How'd ya learn that?"**

**"When the police questioned Mother," Cat explained. "After that, it was impossible ** **for me to stay in that house knowin' he'd been inside. A security system and ** **changin' the locks wouldn't have made me feel safe!"**

**Alex felt her body tremble under his arm. "So you took the opportunity to get outta there," he observed.**

**She nodded and buried her head against his chest. "I would've sold the house ** **anyway, love. It hurt too much to live in it without Bill. 'Brownie' just made it impossible for me to stay in Indy."**

**'Besides, if ya hadn't moved from there, you'd never had met me!' Alex placed his hand under her chin and gently forced her to look up at him. "I don't blame ya, baby. You made the right choice."**

**Cat was prevented from responding by the sudden appearance of Kozik and Ima in ** **the automatic double doors.**

"**Why the fuck did he bring that gash along?" Tig growled.**

"**Hush love. Look at their hands," she admonished softly.**

**Alex pinched the bridge of his nose. 'I can't believe he's tappin' that!'**

"**Looks to me like she's providin' morale support, kinda like I am," Cat added. "Seems pretty fair to me!"**

"**That's cause ya don't know her!" Alex whispered angrily. "She's a porn star ** **and a skank!"**

"**That may be true. What _I_ know about her is that she's a customer at the coffeehouse, so she deserves my respect ** **until I have reason not to give it!"**

"**Shit!" Alex grumbled. "I didn't think about that! OK, we'll play it your way."**

**Kozik and Ima hurried up to them. Cat nodded cordially at the blond, who visibly relaxed in response to her greeting. **

**Tig simply ignored her to glare menacingly at Kozik.** "**What's goin' on, man?" He nodded his head in Ima's direction.**

"**We're seein' each other. Ima knows how important Lumpy is to me," the Tacoma ** **SAA replied tersely.**

"**Cop a squat," Cat replied, pushing her usual antipathy for Kozik away as an example to her husband. "We're still waitin' on the doctors."**

**Kozik and Ima settled into chairs opposite Cat and Tig. Ima kept her hand entwined with Kozik's. She didn't flinch when Tig glared at her.** "**How long's he been in there?" Kozik inquired.**

"**Too long. I'm about ready to storm in there and find out what's goin' on!" Tig growled.**

"**No y'all won't!" Cat retorted, holding on to Alex's hand with grim determination. "They'll just call security, and we don't need that headache!"**

"**She's right," Kozik grinned.**

"**And don't **_**you **_**try to instigate anything!" Ima admonished him. "Cat's right, we just need to be patient and wait!"**

"**I don't remember the name, but can't forget the drink; herbal tea, honey and ** **lemon," Cat stated to Ima.**

**Ima nodded at her. "Our guys are a little forgetful in the manners department! My name is Ima."**

"**Cat," she replied. "I'd get up and shake hands, but Tig's holdin' me down, so ** **I'll just wave."**

**Ima smiled and waved back. "Nice to finally meet you. I love the coffeehouse."**

"**I'm glad," Cat smiled back. "You do a lot of reading, and Ming is infatuated with you!"**

"**Your cats are beautiful," Ima observed. "It's nice of you to share them with the customers."**

**Tig and Kozik observed the conversation in awed silence. Their women were getting along better than they could! Both began to think that maybe they should rethink their own attitudes towards each other.**

**The double doors to the treatment area opened. A doctor dressed in scrubs ** **exited and paused in front of the reception desk. His eyes roamed the waiting area, coming to rest on the quartet. He walked over to them and introduced himself.** "**I'm Dr. Boyd. Are you the family of Mr. Feldstein?"**

**Tig stood up to face the doctor. "My wife and I are his emergency contact, so that's as close as you're gonna get. How is he?"**

**Dr. Boyd glanced at Kozik and Ima, wondering if he should take the other couple aside for a private chat.**

"**They're friends of ours, and of Lumpy," Cat informed the doctor. "It'll really be a lot easier on all of us if y'all would tell us how he's doin'."**

**The doctor considered his alternates and nodded in agreement. "Very well. Mr. ** **Feldstein sustained a severe blow to the front of the skull. There was a fracture that caused swelling on the brain. We had to operate to alleviate the pressure. He's stable, but in very serious condition. The next 24 hours will tell."**

"**If we keep it to one person at a time, can we sit with him?" Cat asked. "He'll be confused when he wakes up, and havin' us present will be comfortin' to him."**

"**As long as it's no more than two people at a time," Dr. Boyd affirmed. He glanced at the wristband on Cat's arm. **

**"Shouldn't you be in your room, young lady?"** **Cat smiled adoringly at the doctor. ****"Bless you! I told the nurses where I was goin'."**

"**It's not like I didn't try to keep her in her bed!" Tig added.**

**Kozik let out a laugh that quickly turned into a yelp when Ima poked him in the ** **side.**

**Tig glared at the Tacoma SAA, then waggled his eyebrows at his wife. "That's ** **OK, I'll get her back in bed where she belongs before long!"**

"**You and what Army?" Cat growled.**

"**Won't need an Army!" He boasted.**

**Dr. Boyd flushed from the interplay between the couple. "Anyway, Mr. Feldstein is in the intensive care ward. I'll check in with him later."**

* * *

**The uniformed officers completed their investigation of the vandalized gym. ****Lumpy's assistant had been called in to secure the premises. A CPD officer would be patrolling the Liberty Street area the remainder of the night to insure no one would do any further damage to the establishment.**

"**Chief, are you ready to leave?" Lumpy's assistant called out. He wanted to secure the door and get home.**

"**Yeah. Be right out," Unser replied, staring once more around the destroyed lobby. Glass crunched underfoot as he walked towards the front door. 'This is gonna be a major repair. With Lumpy in the hospital, who knows how long the gym will be out of commission?'**

**The broken window to the back door had already been boarded up. Lumpy's ** **assistant had tacked sheets over the windows from the inside, to prevent the clientele from seeing the mess inside, and ** **make it difficult for any other vandals to be inticed to cause more damage.**

**Unser exited the building and stood to one side, watching as the employee locked the door and taped a sign over it. The sign read, "**_**Closed due to vandalism. Will reopen as soon as cleaned up**_**."**

"**What makes you think Lumpy will want to reopen, much less repair the joint?" Unser inquired of the employee.**

"**I know the boss. He doesn't give up. Some broken glass is nothing but a small ** **wrinkle to iron out," the employee replied. "All we have to do is get an insurance adjustor out, clean up the mess, replace the glass, and we're in business again."**

**Unser shook his head as he headed for his patrol car. 'The kid is optimistic, I'll give him that. If what Eglee told me is true, this may be enough to convince Lumpy to sell.'** **He wanted to question Lumpy, but a call to the ER indicated Lumpy wouldn't be in ** **any position to give any answers for awhile. Unser decided to return home and ** **get some sleep. His questions could wait until Lumpy was able to talk.**

**Just as he started to climb into the patrol car, Unser noticed a vehicle roll slowly down ****the street. 'Don't tell me someone's out to loot already!' He decided to run the driver out of the area and walked to the driver's side of the vehicle. "Can I help you, son?"**

"**Hi, Chief. It's James Windover."**

"**Oh yeah! Cat's reporter friend. What brings you out here so early – or late – ** **depending on your point of view?"**

"**Heard the call on my police scanner at home, thought I'd come out and see for ** **myself before assigning anyone to it," Windover explained. "I got promoted to ** **assignment editor this week."**

"**Congratulations!" Unser replied. "Not much to see now, son. Not sure that ** **it's anything worth covering, either."**

**Windover gazed past the police chief to the boarded up building and the note on ** **the door. "Is the damage bad inside?"**

"**Nah. Mostly broken display case glass and bullet holes," Unser replied. 'And ** **a large bloodstain on the rug!' He followed the newsman's gaze to the front of the building. "The covered up windows are to keep the curious out and to maintain the scene for the insurance adjustor."**

"**So the owner's going to rebuild?" Windover inquired.**

**Unser shrugged. "I don't know. His assistant assumes so. The owner was ** **injured and is at St. Thomas ER right now. He lives on site and confronted the ** **vandal. Got hit in the head pretty hard."**

"**Sorry to hear that," Windover replied. "Hope he's going to be OK. Guess I'll ** **go back home,"**

"**Drive safe," Unser waved a hand as Windover turned his car around at the ** **intersection and headed back the way he came. Unser watched until the car's ** **tail lights disappeared around a curve before sliding behind the wheel of his ** **patrol car. 'Hope I convinced him there's no story. We don't need the media ** **showing our not so Charming side to the world again!'**

* * *

**James Windover loved his new position as assignment editor. The morale in the ** **newsroom had improved considerably in the last few days. Reporters who used to ** **cringe whenever the assignment editor came to their desks now looked up with ** **expectation. There were no more sarcastic comments or snide remarks about story ** **ideas. The reporters were treated with dignity and respect, and their work ** **reflected that.**

**Windover kept a police scanner in his home in order to monitor emergency calls ** **in his off time. He never knew when something interesting might come up in the ** **viewing area. The scanner was also a form of white noise to him. It soothed him as no other sound could.** **He'd been sound asleep, but roused when he heard the call from Charming PD of a ** **burglary/assault call at Lumpy's Gym on Liberty Street.**

** He'd heard some ** **rumblings about businesses being bought out when he'd been covering the ** **SOA/Zobelle confrontation. He'd wanted to follow up on it, but Pesta had shot ** **down the story idea.**

"**Nobody cares about a few small businesses going bust!" Pesta snarled ** **derisively. "Especially in an area like that! You need to concentrate on news, not filler!"**

**Now that Pesta no longer graced the news room with his presence, Windover wanted ** **to follow that lead and see where it took him. He had nothing concrete, except ** **the buzz from the business owners he'd talked to about the club's dealing with ** **Zobelle and LOAN.**

'**Could the attack on this gym be an attempt to force Feldstein to sell? His was the only business operating there. That chatter on the scanner about a rival MC to SAMCRO being at fault doesn't make sense!'**

**He didn't want to assign the story to another reporter. He was too curious ** **about the Liberty Street situation. It would mean having to do a lot of the work on his own time, but he felt it would be worth it, provided there was a story.** '**It could be possible that the economic times are causing smaller businesses to ** **shut down for lack of profit. Unser seemed pretty insistent that there wasn't anything about the vandalism to generate media coverage. He could be hiding something! Time will tell what that is.'**

* * *

**Tara decided not to return to Jax's house while he was in Belfast. She was too ****emotionally raw to consider it. Besides the emptiness from Jax's and Abel's absence, there was also the fact that Half – Sack had died in the kitchen. Every time she set foot in it, her eyes were drawn to the blood stain on the tile.** **While Jax had wallowed in a haze of booze induced self pity, Tara had tried to clean the stain. She'd tried every cleaner known to Man, even an old fashioned scrub brush and elbow grease. The stain was too set to be scrubbed away.**

** 'It's like the linoleum has become a sponge and soaked it up!' She grumbled. The only way I can see getting rid of it is to replace the floor covering!'**

**She snorted with irony as she pulled into the drive of her father's house. "That's one problem I don't have to worry about!"**

** She felt a sense of peace in the simple act of unlocking the door. She was home again.** **The house was less cluttered than when she'd first arrived. Her father had been ** **a borderline hoarder. It had taken time and a lot of effort, but Tara had made a sizable dent in the accumulation. The useable items, many still in the original packaging, had been given to Goodwill and Salvation Army. **

**'Guess it's time for me to make this my house,' she reassured herself.** **She headed to the bedroom she'd used until she moved in with Jax and flung ** **herself onto the bed. She only glanced a moment at the floor in front of the ** **bathroom, where Agent Kohn had died. In this case, no tell – tale blood stain ** **remained to haunt her; she'd gotten to clean it up long before it could set in. ** **Unlike Half – Sack's death, there was no police investigation to delay the clean ** **up.**

**Tara stared at the ceiling above her while her hands unconsciously moved over ** **her stomach. After tonight, the fetus she and Jax had made would be gone. She felt at peace with the decision. It was the right thing to do. She just couldn't bear to be tied to Jax for the next 18 years through a child he didn't want. **

**'Look what happened to Wendy!' she thought uncharitably.** **Gemma had tried to reunite Jax and Wendy, thinking Abel's mother was the better ** **choice of old lady than Tara. Wendy had decided to bow out of the race for Jax ** **when she saw him kiss Tara at the cemetery during Donna's graveside service. **

**'I can imagine how she felt at the time, and all she saw was a kiss!' From what she'd heard, Wendy was in doing well in rehab and was taking college level ** **courses.**

'**Just shows there is life after Jax after all!' Tara consoled herself. She'd managed 11 years ago to have a life without him, she could do it again. **

**'Let Ima have him!'** **The thought of having a fulfilling life without Jax gave her a small measure of ** **comfort. She still loved him, despite the disgust she felt towards his behavior ** **that morning. She always would. But like a person suffering from any chronic ** **illness, she would find a way to endure the pain.**

* * *

**While Kozik went into the hospital room to visit Lumpy, Cat waited out in the hall with Alex and Ima. The porn star had moved down the hall to the lounge, well away from the couple. Ima found Cat easy to relate to, but Tig still made her uncomfortable.**

**Lumpy lay asleep or unconscious in the bed. He didn't stir when Kozik slipped inside. A headdress of gauze was wrapped around his head. The main wound was on his forehead, but he'd ** **also sustained a nasty lump on the back of his head from the fall. He was hooked up to machines that monitored all his vital signs.**

'**A body would **_**have**_** to be knocked out just to keep from goin' bonkers from the noise!' Kozik observed dryly. The beeping and pinging of the monitors made him uneasy.** **He stared forlornly at the former boxer. No doubt about it, he loved the man, and had missed him terribly while he was in Tacoma. **

**"You're gonna get better, Lump. I know it!" Kozik said aloud, hoping his friend would hear. "You've never lost a fight yet!"** **He felt tears of anger and slide down his cheeks. 'This wasn't supposed to happen! Sebastian was supposed to keep him safe! When I get my hands on that prick - !' Kozik rubbed at his eyes like a small child. 'This ain't gonna do anybody any good!'**

** He stepped into the bathroom to run water over his face, washing the tell tale signs of tears away. He could only imagine the taunting Tig would give him if he saw proof of Kozik's tears.** **He stepped back into the room, watching as Lumpy's chest rose and fell in deep, ** **even breaths. 'That's gotta be a good sign!' Kozik thought to himself. He ** **stepped outside into the hallway, allowing his shoulders to droop in fatigue and ** **despair. "He's still knocked out, but he's breathin' on his own! That's a good ** **sign, right?"**

"**I'd say it is," Cat assured him. "The fewer machines workin' for him the better!"**

"**Thanks, darlin'," Kozik replied. He turned his attention to Tig and added, "Any word on Sebastian?"**

"**None through official channels. I tried the clubhouse; nobody's anwerin'. Put in calls to Phil and Miles, got their voice mails," Tig explained darkly. His tone of voice indicated heads would roll when his path next crossed the prospects.**

"**Didn't anybody tell 'em they need to answer the phone 24/7?" Kozik growled.**

"**I'm sure Ope covered it," Tig retorted.**

**Cat wisely refrained from coming to the prospects' defense. She'd done that ** **once with Half – Sack, and Alex had given her quite a dressing down for it. She ** **wasn't about to make that same mistake a second time.**

"**Maybe we shouldn't be discussin' this in front of your wife," Kozik remarked.**

"**Too late now. Besides, Cat knows what prospects do. We have full disclosure with each other."**

**Kozik's only response to that morsel was to raise his eyebrows in admiration. As much as he liked Ima, he wasn't sure how involved he wanted her to be in the club's inner workings. 'Guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.'**

"**Dr. Boyd mentioned the next few hours are critical for Lumpy," Cat interjected ** **into the silence, steering the conversation to safer waters. "Thought I'd go in and sit with him for awhile until he wakes up or the docs need to run those tests on me."**

"**Ya sure ya wanna do that, baby? I can take ya back to your room and sit with ** **Lump," Alex offered.**

"**Y'all tryin' to get rid of me?" Cat retorted wryly.**

"**Nah," Alex replied loftily. "Just thinkin' about your best interests. Ya haven't had much rest tonight."**

"**No, but I've rested an awful lot since the eye exam!"**

**Ima ventured down the hallway from the lounge when Kozik walked out of Lumpy's room. She stood quietly next to Kozik, resting one hand on the small of his back. "You _are_ looking a little pale, Cat. Maybe Tig's right."**

**Alex shot her a look of gratitude, causing Cat to snort good naturedly. "Remind ** **me to mark that down in my record book!" She retorted wickedly.**

**All three winced. "C'mon, woman! We'd better get in there while I've still got ** **some dignity left!" Alex growled, pushing her into the room.**

**Ima and Kozik watched the pair enter Lumpy's room, then turned and headed down the hallway, walking in step with each other. They didn't talk en route to the ** **parking lot. It was just enough for them to be together.**

**Dawn was breaking outside. It was going to be another sunny day in Charming. ** **Kozik yawned mightily before mounting his Harley and holding it steady for Ima. "I dunno about you, baby, but I'm bushed!"**

"**Me too. Glad I don't have an early call at the studio today. We could both use some sleep."**

**Inside Lumpy's room, Alex pulled a comfortable chair up to the bedside for Cat. ** **She transferred herself from the wheelchair and the room chair with little assistance from him. ****He pushed the wheelchair to an out of the way corner and started to lower himself to the floor.**

"**Here, now! Y'all aren't sittin' on the cold floor, love!" She protested, standing up and moving to the side of the chair. "Sit down!"**

"**And where are ya plannin' to sit?" He growled, though he smiled in anticipation ** **that she would opt to sit on his lap.**

"**Where do y'all think?"**

**Alex wasted no time settling into the chair. Once he was comfortable, Cat lowered herself onto his lap, leaning against his chest. Her head nestled comfortably in the hollow between his shoulder and neck. "Ah! That feels good!" She sighed.**

"**Feels pretty nice to me, too!"**

"**So I noticed," Cat purred, wiggling her butt against the bulge pushing against ** **her.**

"**Be careful, woman! Ya might start somethin'!"**

"**And embarrass Lumpy? I think not!" She retorted through a large yawn. **

**"Just relax and rest, baby. I'll keep an eye on Lumpy for ya," Alex crooned softly. **

**"OK, love," she murmured sleepily, closing her eyes and sighing deeply. She allowed the machines tracking the boxer's vital signs to lull her to sleep.**

**Alex remained awake for awhile, thinking of the real reason Cat had left Indiana. 'Technically that fucktard was a 'lone wolf', since he never patched that MC. I know she's been watchin' for any sign that he's found her.' ** **He snorted and wrapped his arms protectively around her waist, sliding his hands up under her shirt. 'Now I understand why she doesn't bitch about the time I spend with the club. She was already used to it! Those guys definitely taught her a lot!' He mentally saluted the Terre Haute MC and their long perished leaders who'd looked out for her. **

* * *

**The first thing Lumpy became aware of as the shroud of darkness lifted from his senses was pain. A throbbing, continuous pain thundered in his skull. He felt the ****pressure similar to a clothespin attached to one finger. **

'**Vhy vould anyone stick a clothespin on my finger?' he wondered to himself. 'Vhere am I?'**

**He began to recall his last vivid memory. He'd heard a horrendous noise in the lobby of his gym. The sound of a semi - automatic mingled with breaking glass. He'd waited for the young man Tig had left to keep him safe to check ** **on him; when the youngster didn't appear, Lumpy feared he'd been hurt.** **He'd opened the door to the scene of complete chaos in the lobby. The young prospect was not in sight, but a dark clad figure holding a rifle stood in the center of the demolished lobby.**

**Lumpy remembered he was so upset by the rampant vandalism to his business that he gave no thought to the presence of the assault rifle. He shouted a challenge to the intruder and rushed him, not caring that the intruder held a smoking gun in his hands. Then everything went black.**

**Lumpy moaned and opened his eyes, blinking several times in the dim light until ** **his vision cleared. The faint smell of antiseptic assailed his nose. Assorted ** **beeps and chimes filled his ears. He felt a mattress underneath him. ****'Am I in ** **de hospital?' ** **He painfully turned his head to one side, but found nothing but an empty bed there. He turned his head in the other direction to find Tig and Cat sharing a chair beside his bed.**

** A slight smile lit his pale features as he gazed on the couple. Both of them were asleep. Tig had his arms wrapped protectively around Cat's waist; her head was pillowed on his shoulder. 'Seeing dem dere must mean I'm not dead!'**

**Cat heard Lumpy's moan and immediately awoke. She slid out of Alex's embrace to stand next to the bed, holding the former boxers hand in hers. "Can y'all hear me Lumpy?" She inquired softly so she wouldn't wake Alex. **

"**I can. Am I in de hospital?" His voice was weak and froggy but his grip was strong.**

"**Yes. St. Thomas. Do y'all know me?" **

"**Of course! You're Cat!" He croaked again. "So dry!"**

**Cat slid her hand out of his and turned to the nightstand where a pitcher of water, a glass and a straw were placed. She poured some water into the glass and pressed the button to raise the head of the bed so Lumpy could drink easier. ** "**Sip slowly, don't want y'all to get sick," she cautioned, holding the cup for him and placing the straw in his mouth.**

**Lumpy sipped obediently, sucking at the straw like a new born kitten drinking** **mother's milk. He released the straw to indicate he'd had enough and Cat ** **returned the cup to the bedside table. ** "**Don't try to talk right now, Lumpy. Y'all got hit in the head. Do y'all need the nurse?"**

"**No," his voice sounded less dry. "Just want to sleep." **

"**I understand. If I'm not here next time y'all wake up, it's because I'm gettin' some tests done," she assured him. **

"**OK." His eyes closed, and he fell back to sleep. **

"**He sounds weak," Alex observed from the chair. **

**Cat turned to face him. "When did y'all wake up?"**

"**When ya got off my lap," he replied, stretching luxuriously and indulging in a ** **good yawn. He reached out a hand and pulled her back down onto his lap. "I didn't expect him to say much first time outta the cobwebs," he replied. "It's enough to know ** **he's awake." **

"**I accept that!" She grinned, snuggling against him. **

"**Don't get too comfortable, baby. I'm gonna call the prospects again, get them ** **on Sebastian's trail. I wanna know straight from him what happened last night." **

"**He must be physically OK; Unser never mentioned finding anyone else hurt or ** **worse at the gym," she remarked.**

"**He'd better have a damn good reason for buggin' out!" Alex muttered darkly, ** **nudging her to let him get up. She complied and settled into the chair he'd ** **vacated, taking comfort in the warmth he left behind. **

"**I'm not tellin' y'all how to treat a prospect, love, just don't go off on him until y'all hear his side of the story," Cat requested earnestly.**

**He gazed at her in surprise. "I woulda thought you'd want me to rip into him!" **

"**I have my doubts about him, but this is all new to him. The club**_** can**_** be a little overwhelming at times!"**

"**I'll keep that in mind, baby, **_**only**_** because ya asked so nicely," he grinned before slipping out the door. ** **He frowned at his phone to find no messages had been left by the two prospects, much less from the AWOL Sebastian. He decided he needed a smoke while he called and walked outside, lighting up the minute his feet hit the concrete. ** **He drew a long, satisfying drag on the cigarette and then punched the contact ** **for Sebastian. He wasn't surprised to get voice mail. ** "**This is Tig. Call me immediately." **

**He then pressed the contact for Filthy ** **Phil, who answered on the first ring. **

"**Morning, Tig! I was just going to call you. My cell phone battery died on me!" The words came out in a rush before Tig could draw breath to speak. **

"**Ya ever heard of landlines? They **_**can**_** be used to call cell phones." **

"**I don't have one at home," Phil replied apologetically. **

"**Get one. Ya need to be able to be contacted at **_**all**_** times," Tig reminded him. ** "**Where's Sebastian?"**

"**I figure he's still at Lumpy's."**

'**Shit! He doesn't know!' Tig rolled his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose with the hand holding the cigarette. He inwardly drew on his limited reserves of patience. 'No, he's not. Lump got attacked last night. He's at St. Thomas. Unser didn't mention finding Sebastian messed up, so he apparently didn't stay at the gym." **

"**That's not good!" Phil exclaimed. **

'**Tell me somethin' I don't already know, Prospect," Tig grumbled. "Call Miles. ** **Tell him what happened. One of you get to the clubhouse and update Piney. The ** **other go to Sebastian's house. One of ya needs to bring the van here to get me. I'll call Kozik to tell him Lumpy woke up." **

**Phil breathed a small sigh of relief. "Does that mean he's gonna be OK?" **

**"Dunno, Prospect. It's too early to say. He has a nasty head wound," Tig replied, providing Phil the boxer's room number. **

**"I'll meet you guys in the hallway later, got it?"**

"**Got it. Anything else?" **

"**Yeah. Whoever brings the van, stop by the coffeehouse, get Cat one of her white chocolate drinks; the employees know the size and shit. Bring me a large black whiskey blend. And a Snicker Bar Muffin. And a white chocolate scone for Cat. She's sittin' with Lump and I don't want her to miss breakfast."**

"**OK," Phil replied. "I'm on it."**

"**Don't fuck this up, Prospect," Tig replied ominously, unable to resist putting a little fear in him. 'It'll do him some good.' He scrolled to the contact for Kozik and pressed send for his number. **

**Kozik opened one bleary eye when his cell phone roared on the table next to him. ** "**Must be about Lumpy," he muttered sleepily, reaching for the phone. "Kozik!"**

"**Tig. Lump's awake. At least he was. He talked to Cat for a minute, drank some water, and fell asleep again."**

"**But he spoke?" Kozik was wide awake at hearing the good news.**

"**Yeah. Just a few words," Tig admitted. "I called Phil, put him and Miles to work lookin' for Sebastian and update Piney." **

"**Is Cat still with Lump?"**

"**Yeah. Not sure when they're runnin' those tests on her, so I need to get back to Lump's room."**

"**See ya in a few." Kozik got up from the bed, glanced at Ima, who remained sound asleep during the conversation. He decided to shower and get dressed without disturbing her. He wanted her to rest after coming out with him in the dead of night to sit at the hospital. **

**Just as he rose from the bed, Ima stirred and murmured sleepily, "I'm awake. Sounds like good news, lover. I'm glad."**

**"So am I, baby. Go back to sleep," he kneeled on the bed and kissed her, running his hand along her long tresses. "Thanks for goin' out with me earlier."**

**"Anytime, lover," she sighed, snuggling under the covers. "Be safe." **

**Tig started to close his cell but stopped when he saw the voice mail indicator ****blinking. The message was from Bobby, letting him know the club had reached Belfast with a minimum of difficulty. Chibs wife and daughter had escaped Jimmy O and were safe at Father Ashby's church and rectory. "We've had a couple of close calls brother, somethin' ain't right with SAMBEL; we're whole and will keep ya posted."**

**He closed the burner, shoved it back into his pocket, and finished his cigarette. 'No mention about Jax's kid. That doesn't sound good.' He pushed thoughts of what was happening in Belfast to the back of his mind. He was in Charming, they were overseas. There was nothing he could do to help the club except maintain order at home. **

* * *

**Filthy Phil's stomach felt like he'd swallowed a big chunk of ice. 'Tig is ** **pissed about Sebastian disappearing. Hope Lumpy's gonna be OK!' H****e dialed ** **Miles' cell number to update his fellow prospect.**

"**Yeah, it's Miles," the other prospect said tiredly when he answered the cell phone's insistent ringing. **

"**Sebastian's in deep shit," Phil announced. "Somethin' happened at the gym last night, Lumpy's in the hospital and Sebastian's disappeared." **

"**How do ya know all this?"**

"**Tig just called. He's not happy."**

"**That's good, I'd rather deal with Tig than Happy any day," Miles joked feebly. That same chunk of ice that was making Phil uncomfortable had just found a home ** **in his stomach. **

"**Dude!" Phil admonished. "This is no joke! He was royally pissed that we didn't have our cells turned on last night."**

"**Sorry, man," Miles sighed. "I forgot." **

"**Then it's a good thing he talked to me; at least **_**my**_** battery died," Phil retorted. **

"**What's the damage?" **

"**Told ya all I know. Tig wants one of us to go find Sebastian, the other gets to go to the compound, update Piney, and bring the van to get Tig. Plus go on a coffee run to Cat's place."**

"**I'll take the compound and the van, you try Sebastian's folks. You're better with people than I am," Miles stated. **

"**OK. Call me if you find out anything." Phil departed his apartment to his own ** **Harley, mounted, and headed straight for Sebastian's home. His basement apartment and the clubhouse were his only hangouts. ** **Sebastian's bike wasn't parked in the drive or on the street in front of the house. 'I've got a bad feelin' about this!' **

**Phil parked his bike against the curb in front of the house and walked up to the entrance to Sebastian's apartment. There was no indication that the prospect was home, but Phil knocked on the door anyway. ** **He waited for a response, then knocked again when no one answered. He waited ** **another few moments, then tried Sebastian's cell. He didn't hear ringing ** **inside the apartment, though that might not mean anything. 'He could've put it ** **on vibrate!' Phil frowned when the call went to voice mail. Either Sebastian was avoiding all calls, or something bad had happened to him. ** '**I don't wanna alarm his folks, but what choice do I have?**

**' He reluctantly walked to the front door and rang the bell. ** **Sebastian's father peeked outside the window to find Phil standing on the front ** **porch. He'd been prepared to be confronted by a member of the club ever since he's found Sebastian's letter that morning.**

** 'At least it's Phil, and not one of ** **the full members!' the man thought to himself. 'I've known Phil for years. ** **It'll be easier to tell him.'**

** He opened the door and invited the prospect to come inside. ** "**Sebastian's not here," the parent explained dryly. **

"**I kinda figured that out with his bike not in the driveway No one answered the door at his apartment. Did he happen to mention where he was goin'?'**

"**You'd better sit down, son," Sebastian's father replied dryly. **

* * *

**Miles rode out to the compound, hoping that Phil would locate their AWOL ** **companion before Piney got to the garage. He glanced at the parked tow truck as he rolled towards the bike parking area, and frowned at the sight of a mound of black leather and a gun on the hood.**

** 'I've got a really bad feelin' about this!' ** **Miles parked his bike and hurried across to the tow truck. The black lump was a ** **prospect's cut and the gun Tig had given Sebastian the day before. "This isn't ** **good!" Miles moaned, clutching the cut to his chest. 'Whatever happened last night totally spooked him into quittin'!" **

**He picked up the gun and scurried to the clubhouse. The last thing he wanted was for Piney to find the discarded items. ** **Miles almost ran down Chuckie, who was venturing out the clubhouse door to open ** **the garage office for the day. Chuckie had moved into a store room in the clubhouse after his skills were needed there more than at '**_**Charming Pawse**_**'. **

"**Good morning!" Chuckie greeted the prospect. **

"**No, it's not!" Miles retorted, standing to the side of the doorway to allow Chuckie to exit. **

"**What's wrong?"**

"**Everything man! Sebastian's quit, Lumpy got hurt last night and his gym's a wreck!" **

"**Whew! I **_**don't**_** accept that!" Chuckie replied. **

"**Neither do I, but there's not a whole Hell of a lot I can do about it!" Miles retorted, stepping through the door. He hurried into the locker room to store the cut and gun in Sebastian's locker. "Shit! I don't have the combination!" Miles grumbled, glaring at the padlock. ** **He stuffed the items in his own locker for safe keeping. **

**He walked out into the main area of the clubhouse, following the smell of fresh brewed coffee. 'Little guy's handy to have around, even with just a finger to each hand!' Miles poured a cup of coffee and settled on a bar stool. He took a soothing sip of the whiskey blend and then pulled out his cell phone to call Phil. **

**His own cell rang, the caller ID indicating Phil was calling him. **

**"Dude! I've got news for you!"****Miles announced. **

"**So do I. Sebastian's on the run," Phil replied morosely. **

"**He's quit the club, too." Miles stated. He explained that he'd found the cut and gun abandoned on the hood of the tow truck. "He must've peeled outta here like a bat outta Hell; there's a fresh line of rubber leading from the truck to the gate," he added. **

"**Tig is gonna be beyond pissed!" Phil moaned. **

"**Not our fault. It was Sebastian's job to keep the old man safe. He didn't do ** **his part," Miles pointed out. **

"**That won't mean squat. If one prospect fucks up, the punishment goes for all ** **prospects. That's the way it works." **

"**Been readin' those rules and regs again, eh?" **

"**Always a good idea to know what might save your ass!" **

"**So what are we gonna tell the guys?"**

"**The truth, I guess. Sebastian freaked out and bailed out of town. His dad said he checked this morning and Sebastian was already gone. His apartment looked like a hurricane flew through it," Phil reported. **

"**You comin' back to the clubhouse?"**

"**Guess so. Don't wait for me, though. You need to do that coffee run for Tig." **

"**Lucky me!" Miles exclaimed before he ended the call. He sighed and sipped ** **some more of the coffee. He needed the jolt of caffeine before he faced Tig.**

**Piney lumbered into the clubhouse just as Miles finished his coffee. "Thought I saw your bike out front. Get ready to roll, junior. Heard on the news that Lumpy Feldstein got whacked last night." **

**"I was just gettin' ready to take the van on a coffee run for him," Miles replied. "He called Phil." **

**"I'll drive the van. What'd he want from Cat's place?"** **Miles recited the shopping list. "Easy enough. Haven't been in there for awhile," Piney replied. "I'll meet ya at the hospital."**

* * *

**Cat's eyelids grew heavy the minute Alex left the hospital room. She wanted to remain alert in case Lumpy woke up again, but she lost the battle and fell asleep. **

**A nurse came in to check Lumpy's vitals and the IV drip. She took one look at the hospital ID band on Cat's wrist and abruptly woke her with a hissed, "You _should_ be in your room!"**

**Cat glared up at the nurse, an older woman who was used to instant obedience from young people. "Got news for y'all, lady; I'm right where I'm 'sposed to be! Check with the nurses on my floor if y'all don't believe me!"**

**"It's **_**very**_** unusual for patients to visit other patients!" The nurse persisted.**

**"But it's not against the rules, so I'm stayin'!" Cat snorted. "Trust me, I'm doin' more good here for Lumpy."**

**The nurse stared at her, then looked at the patient in the bed. "I suppose there's no harm in it. Like you said, there's no rule against it, and as long as your floor nurse knows where you are -"**

**"Now y'all are seein' reason!" Cat replied triumphantly. "He woke up a little earlier, took some water, but went right back to sleep."**

**"That's normal with a head wound like his. I'll be checking back later."**

**Cat waited until the door closed behind the nurse to snort, "I'm sure y'all will! Old battleax!"**

**"Dat's a vord I've not heard used by your generation in a long time!" Lumpy ** **snickered.**

**Cat stood and moved to the side of the bed, taking his hand in hers. "I'm sorry she woke y'all."**

**"I needed to vake up," he insisted. "Can't sleep all day!"**

**"Why not? It's supposed to be good work if you can get it." She pulled the chair towards her with her foot and sat down, unwilling to lose the physical contact ** **with her friend long enough to push it closer. "Y'all didn't have to go to such extremes to get outta comin' to Sabbath supper!"**

**He looked at her with a wan smile. "Now you know dat's not true, Cat! I _love_ your Kosher cooking!"**

**"Hmpf!" she snorted.**

"**It's true, honey. Und I appreciate de time und effort you put in to it." ****He smiled again but it quickly turned into a grimace of pain. It seemed that the smallest movement sent pain shooting through him.**

**"Y'all need the nurse?"**

**"No. Not now. Dere's someting I need to tell you, Cat."**

**"It'll wait 'til later, Lumpy." **

**He shook his head and winced again. "Owtch! It hoits when I do dat!" **

**"Then don't shake your head, dear one. Just like still and rest." **

**"No!" He insisted with a shadow of his normal strength. "Dere might not be a later! I need to tell you dis now!" **

**"OK, OK. Calm down, Lumpy! I'm right here listenin'," she replied soothingly. "What is it?" **

** Lumpy remained silent for so long that Cat thought he'd fallen asleep again. "I rejoice dat Teeg has you in his life, Cat," he stated suddenly though in a weak voice. "A man needs a gud voman to vatch out for him, and you do that well." **

**"Lord, I hope so!"**

**"You do. Vithout any fanfare or strings attached. He lights up vhenever you're around or he's speaking of you. I haven't seen him so happy since his girls vere liddle," Lumpy assured her. "Und I appreciate dat you alvays treated me like family."**

**Cat felt her throat tighten with emotion at Lumpy's comment.**** "But you _are _family, dear one. Tig chose you as his family. That makes you my family." **

**"Tank you." He sighed. **

**"I know you're tired, Lumpy. Can y'all tell me what happened last night?" **

**"I tink so." **

**"T****ake your time. You know I'll share it with Tig."**

**He closed his eyes for a moment, then replied, "I saw one guy standing in de middle of de joint. He'd broken de glass on de back door to gain entry, shot up de place vith a machine gun."**

**"Was he usin' an AK by chance?"**

**"I don't know one gun from another," he moaned. "All I know is ** **dat he made a big mess! He hit me in the head vhen I confronted him, said somethin' about not messing vith the Mayans."**

**"I suppose he wasn't wearin' colors," Cat snorted. "That would've made it easy ** **to ID him!"**

**"His face vas black und blue. He had a white bandage on his nose. Bearded, but not a bushy one. Skinny. Vore a hoodie und a sleeveless undershirt. He vas Hispanic."**

'**Why would the Mayans mess with Lumpy? That makes no sense!' She mentally filed away that piece of intel. "That describes a lot of young men, but it's a start. Did any one other than Darby warn y'all yesterday?"**

**"No," Lumpy replied weakly. "Funny thing about dat visit. First time Darby stepped foot in my gym in years. I'll tell you what I told Teeg, Darby vas varning me that sumone really vants my property and vill do anyting to get it!" **

'**And they obviously followed through!' Cat thought angrily. She took a deep breath to calm herself before continuing,** **"Tig mentioned he left one of the prospects to watch over y'all."**

**Lumpy grimaced, but not from pain. "I told Teeg a babysitter vasn't needed, but he ignored me!" **

**"I'm glad he did, Lumpy. But what happened that he didn't keep y'all safe?" **

**"I don't know, honey. I kept vaitin' for him to come to de apartment to check on me. Vhen he didn't, I vent into the lobby." **

**"I wish y'all had stayed in your apartment where you were safe!" She snorted. 'So Sebastian chickened out. If he's smart, he'll have left town with no forwardin' address. If Alex finds him, he'll make mincemeat out of him for leaving Lumpy alone and allowing him to be hurt. The only saving grace is he must've called 911.'**

**She could tell that talking was taking a lot out of the boxing instructor, but she knew that the more intel she got for Alex before the police descended, the better. "I wonder if Darby went against the grain to hire a Latino to vandalize the gym," she mused. **

**Lumpy shook his head in protest. "Darby vasn't behind dis! He **_**didn't**_** threaten me, he ****vas trying to varn me in his own vay dat sumthin' might happen to make me change my mind. Vhoever vants my property so bad can have it. It's gonna be too much vork to repair," Lumpy moaned.**

"**No, Lumpy! Y'all aren't lettin' those fucktards win!" Cat cried.**

**"I'm tired, honey. I'm old. I told Teeg und Darby I vouldn't sell. Mebbe I vas ** **vrong."**

**"What are y'all sayin', Lumpy?" Anger at the cowardly big shot pulling all the ** **strings welled up inside her.**

**"I'm saying dat mebbe dis is a sign from God. Mebbe if I sell und move to ** **Arizona with de other rich Jews, I'll finally have some peace."**

**Cat's temper snapped. She reached out and grabbed his arm, bringing the numbers ** **tattooed on it into his line of vision. "Was _that_ a sign from God, too?" She ** **snarled. "No, don't answer, cause y'all know as good as I that it wasn't!"** **She let his arm fall to the mattress, her chest heaving with each inhale. "Y'all ** **didn't give up and slink off like a whipped cur then, and you're sure as Hell ** **not gonna give up now!"**

**"Vho says?" Lumpy growled back, showing a bit of his former spirit.**

**"I says!" She challenged hotly. "If y'all give up now, then those fancy ass fucktards win!"**

**"Dat's fine vid me! I'm tired, Cat. I'm too old to start all over!"**

**"Y'all aren't gonna be doin' it alone, Lumpy. I'm gonna help ya!" She countered.**

**"You?" Lumpy tried to laugh but it came out as a wheeze as he looked over her cast and fading bruises. **

**"Hey, I can swing a hammer pretty good, even with a damaged wing!" She grinned. ** **"I'm sure Tig and the club - even Kozik - will help out! We'll make your gym as ** **good as new!"**

"**Vhat's dis ting you got against Hoiman?" Lumpy interjected.**

"**Whaddya mean?"**

"**Dat tone of voice you get vhenever you mention his name, like it's a curse!"**

**Cat shrugged guiltily. "He's not exactly one of Tig's favorite people, and he caused me a little physical harm last week!"**

"**Dat vas an accident, so vas the ting between him und Teeg. Dat issue's been ** **goin' on far too long! Dey need to settle it und go back to bein' friens! Und you, young lady, need to lighten up on him!" Lumpy growled. His face had turned a bright red, causing Cat to grow alarmed for him.**

"**OK, Lumpy! Relax! It's just a little hard to trust someone who's hurt ya! But I'll make an effort for y'all!"**

**Lumpy relaxed against the pillow, panting from his exertion. "I'm too old for dis shit!" he moaned.**

"**Do y'all need me to call the nurse?" Cat asked again. The numbers for his vitals were on the rise and made her nervous.**

"**Nah. I'll be fine. Just tell me how you tink you can fix the damage to my place."**

**She smiled and waved her good hand in the air. "We'll start with callin' your ** **insurance and make a damage claim for vandalism! As soon as they cut a check, the clean up begins!"**

**"Vho's ve?"**

**"Well, me, actually," she replied. "I'll deal with the insurance if y'all will tell them I have y'all's permission. What's the name of the insurance company, and while I'm thinkin' of it, who's yer attorney?"**

**He supplied the insurance information and added, "I've been dealing with Ally Lowen for some time on my legal matters. Vhy?"**

**"Always good to keep your lawyer in the know," she explained. 'Ally knows me. She'll work with me.'**

**Lumpy closed his eyes, hardly daring to hope. "Vhat's to say I vant to run it once I get out of here?"**

**"Then we'll hire someone to run it for you, and you become trainer emeritus," She assured him. "Now, you rest while I make a few calls."** **He obediently closed his eyes. He was very tired. He'd lived a long time and seen a lot that wearied him about Life. **

**'If Cat tinks it's possible to make the gym vhole again, I'll let her do it. Doubt it'll make any difference. I'm too old to continue. Und vhen I die, Teeg und Hoiman vill own it und have to vork together!"**

* * *

**Alex strode purposefully down the hospital corridor to Lumpy's room. Civilians ** **scurried out of his way like the Red Sea parting for Moses. His fierce scowl warned them not to hinder his progress.** **He stopped outside the door, listening to Cat's voice.**

** 'Sounds like she's talkin' to Lump's insurance people. That means she talked him outta sellin'!' A wave of relief washed through him along with a wave of warmth that his wife had gone ahead to tackle his unspoken concern.** **'That girl has a lot of initiative and ain't afraid to use it!'**

** His expression sobered as he considered her own physical condition. 'I just hope she doesn't wear herself out! Maybe I should go on in and take over!'** **His hand was on the door but before he could open it, he spied Unser walking ** **down the hall. **

**'Shit! Gotta buy her a little time.'** **He strode away from the room door to meet Unser half way down the hall. "Any leads on who attacked Lumpy?"**

**"Nothing I can say until I talk to Lumpy. The nurses said he's awake." Unser ** **replied coolly.**

"**He was earlier. Cat's in there with him. She thought he'd be more comfortable ** **with a friendly face to wake up to."**

"**Smart woman," Unser murmured.**

"**Yeah, she is!" Tig inwardly preened at the compliment.**

"**I don't want to interrupt their visit, but if he's awake, I need to get a statement from him," Unser explained, moving around Tig to get to the door.**

**Tig sighed in resignation and allowed Unser to pass. There'd be nothing ** **gained in antagonizing the officer. 'Hope he doesn't get into it with Cat about my license!'**

** He leaned on a window ledge nearby and crossed his arms over ** **his chest.** **As he waited for either Unser or his wife to exit the room, he spied Piney, Miles, and Kozik striding down the hall. Piney carried a drink carrier and a distinctive pastry bag. **

* * *

**Cat kept her voice down so she wouldn't disturb the patient. The first call ** **she made was to Lowen's office.** **The receptionist informed her that Ally was meeting with a client.**

** Cat explained the situation and asked that the attorney meet her later that day. **

**"I'll give her the details as soon as she's out of her meeting," the receptionist promised. **

**'I hope so!" Cat purred wryly. "The last time one of the office staff was given a message for her, it was delayed several hours!"**

**"Yes, I'm sorry about that, Mrs. Trager," the receptionist replied smoothly. "That staff member was reassigned. You can rest assured this message **_**will**_** get in Ms. Lowen's hands as soon as her appointment ends."**

**"You'll forgive me if I take a wait and see attitude," Cat replied before disconnecting the line. 'Fool me once, y'all don't get a second chance to fool me again!'**

**The next call was to the claims department of Lumpy's insurance company. She had ** **to wake him long enough to give the claims intake representative his permission to discuss the claim with her. As soon as the insurance rep was satisfied, Lumpy fell right back to sleep.**

**"To the best of my knowledge, there was a police report filed with Charming PD, but I don't have a case number," Cat explained after giving the details of the claim. "Mr. Feldstein was injured when he confronted the suspect. The establishment has been secured as a crime scene, so it's imperative that a field examiner get out to inspect the damage as soon as possible."**

**"Well, Mrs. Trager, we'll do what we can, but it would be better for the property to be fully secured as soon as possible."**

**'No shit, Sherlock!' Cat thought uncharitably. She pushed her annoyance aside with an effort. "I'm aware of that, it'll be taken care of as soon as the police ** **allow."**

**"Do you have something to write with?" the claims rep inquired. "I have your claim number and the claim handler's name for you."**

**"Yeah, been takin' some notes while we were talkin'," Cat assured her. She wrote ** **down the information then thanked the rep for the assistance before hanging up.**

**Chief Unser walked in just as she hung up the phone. "Mornin', Cat. How's he doin'?"**

**"OK for the moment. I think he's hurtin' but doesn't want to own up to it," she replied.**

**Unser nodded and moved across the room so that Lumpy's bed was between them. She had the distinct impression that the police cheif was uncomfortable being physically close to her. **

**"Relax, Wayne," she grinned wickedly. "I'm not gonna yell at y'all this time!"**

**"That's good. Once is enough."**

**"I think there was good reason for that," she retorted.**

**"Yeah, I guess so. What's done is done. I can't remove the license suspension. Not with county and state law enforcement involved."**

**"I know that, Wayne. Now that I've had time to think about it." She limped to the door, placing a hand on his arm as she passed him. "Doesn't mean I hafta like it, but I understand it."**

**"Tig doesn't know how lucky he is to have you in his corner," Unser observed wryly.**

**"Don't make a wager on it, y'all would lose yer socks!" she winked and opened the door, leaving Unser alone with Lumpy.** **She met Alex in the hallway. He was standing against the wall, holding a _'Charming Pawse'_ coffee cup in one hand and a Snicker Bar Muffin in the other. The muffin had a large chunk bitten out of it. Miles, Piney, and Kozik were standing around him and** **Piney had a pastry bag and drink carrier from her coffee shop which he extended to her. **

"**Piney! Bless y'all!" She cried, accepting the items from the founding member. "I've been dyin' for a decent cuppa!"**

"**Don't thank me," he grinned. "Your old man told the prospects to get it."**

"**But y'all did the footwork. That makes it all the more special to me!" She insisted, lifting the cup marked 'Non fat, no whip, white chocolate' from the carrier. "It's still hot!"**

"**Sure. I had your staff make 'em extra hot so they wouldn't be cold when I got here!"**

**Cat flashed a grateful smile at Piney, which made the normally gruff man melt inside. He knew he wasn't that much to look at, and most of the porn stars at Caracara had only put up with him because he represented safety to them. 'Cat's got a way of makin' ya think she genuinely likes you, just because she does!' He flushed and smiled as she raised up on ****her toes to kiss his cheek. **

"**A'right! Enough of that!" Tig growled good naturedly, drawing his wife protectively under his arm. **

Cat** nodded a greeting at the prospect and Kozik. Then she turned a warm, welcoming gaze on her husband, smiling at his possessive demeanor towards his brother. "Y'all don't have to stake your claim, love!" **

**"Just makin' sure these assholes know you're off limits!" He growled. ** **"How's he doin', baby?"**

**"He's weak. I had to let Unser be alone with him to question him."**

**"Shit!" Kozik muttered.**

**"Miles, stand by the door, keep your mouth shut and your ears open," Tig ordered.**

**The prospect nodded and stood next to the door.**

**"You, woman, come with me," Tig added, leading her away from the group. **

**Kozik tread water for a moment before he started to follow after them.**

**"Did I invite you?" Tig growled, glaring at Kozik.**

**"Sorry!" Kozik retreated to the wall on the opposite side of Miles. 'Guess two sets of ears are better than none. And Tig thinks three's a crowd!'**

**Piney grinned at him and leaned against the wall beside him. "You'll learn, brother!"**

**Alex and Cat walked a few feet from the other two men. He directed her to sit on ** **the window ledge, standing next to her and propping one foot on the ledge next to her, blocking his brothers' view.** **"Talk to me, baby," he ordered quietly.**

**"It's not good, love," she replied. "Whoever that gang banger was that hit him knew ****what he was doin'. That head wound is dangerous."**

**"As bad as the one Chibs had?"**

**"Worse, love. I'm surprised he's able to talk," she shared what she'd gleaned ** **from Lumpy about the vandalism. "I've already called his insurance carrier, the ** **adjuster's gonna go out later today."**

**Alex closed his eyes for a moment while his shoulders sagged slightly as if a ** **weight had been lifted from them. "I was hopin' he wouldn't sell."**

**"I talked him outta it, love."**

**"Thanks, baby!" He grinned proudly, leaning down to kiss her.**

**She turned her head away from his kiss. "I don't deserve any thanks, love. Not after the way I went about it," she demurred softly. Her voice was thick with unshed tears. "In fact, I'm pretty ashamed of myself."**

**"What the fuck did ya do?" He inquired grimly.**

**"I'd rather not say, love. I've got a low enough opinion of myself for both of ** **us right now."**

**Alex placed his hand under her chin, forcing her to raise her head and look at ** **him. "Tell me," he growled. His expression demanded absolute obedience.**

**She glared at him for pulling for the caveman card, then sighed in resignation. ** **"I told him he didn't give up in the concentration camp, so I wasn't lettin' him ** **off the hook now."**

**"Whew!" He whistled with a painful wince on Lumpy's behalf. "That's really hittin' below the belt, woman!"**

**"No shit!"**

**"But it was prolly what Lump needed to hear to pull him outta the dumps," Alex ** **added with a hint of admiration in his voice. "Remind me not to get on your bad ** **side, baby," he replied, biting into his muffin with relish. **

**Cat grinned and nibbled on her scone, a white chocolate strawberry one that her staff had sent. "Be sure to settle up with Piney for our breakfast, love. I would, but all I've got on me is the debit card, and I'm _not_ payin' a damn fee to use the one here to get cash!" **

**"Absolutely," he muttered around a mouthful of muffin. **

**"If you get to enjoyin' that muffin too much, I'm gonna have to insist y'all get a room!" She joked. **

**He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Not half as much fun as I get from your **_**other **_**muffin!" He nipped her ear lobe before standing up again.**

**An orderly piloting an empty wheelchair marched down the hall, stopping in front of the couple. "Mrs. Trager, the nurses from your floor sent me down here. Drs. Gallagher and DeSoto are waiting on you," he announced. **

**Alex gazed back at his brothers and then to her. 'Oh, shit!' He fumed inwardly. Once again, his SAA persona were coming to battle with his husbandly duties. **

**Cat recognized the signs of his inner turmoil and hastened to quietly reassure him. "It's OK, love. Y'all would be bored to tears during all these tests. Just keep the phone handy, I'll either call or text y'all later." **

**Alex laid both cups of coffee on the window sill, then took her scone from her and placed it along with his nearly devoured muffin next to the cups. He assisted her into the wheelchair, making sure she was settled comfortably. "Ya sure, baby? I can stay if ya'd rather." **

**Cat laid her hand alongside his cheek and touched her forehead to his. "No slight to CPD's abilities, but y'all **_**need **_**to find out who did this to Lumpy."**

**He placed both hands on the armrests of the wheelchair and kissed her, hard and appreciatively. He didn't give a damn that the orderly, his brothers, and any passers by were watching. "Thanks baby," he whispered. He straightened up, handed her drink and scone to her, and glared at the orderly. "Be sure ya take good care of my wife!"**

**The orderly nodded nervously while Cat's eyes were twinkling behind the tinted insert. "Don't worry, darlin'," she assured the orderly, "His bite is worse than his bark!"**

* * *

**Doctors Gallagher and DeSoto had worked out a treatment plan for Cat Marshall's h****ead injury. They hoped it would prevent complications from the older, ** **more serious ones. They met with co – ordinating physician Tara Knowles about ** **the treatment. **

"**It seems that a prescription regimen will keep the migraines at a minimum," Dr. ** **Gallagher observed. **

"**We're also keeping her PTSD and depression treatments in mind. The medicinal we're proposing shouldn't interact with this regimen," Dr. Soto added. **

**Tara reviewed the doctors' notes and nodded. "It looks good. We need to make ** **sure this is forwarded to her regular physician so she can monitor and continue the treatment after she's released."**

"**We'll do that. Dr. Smyth is wanting to see her to make a new prescription for ** **her glasses. He's going to suggest the strongest possible tint. I doubt anyone can tint one pair well enough so she'll be comfortable in all manner of light," Dr. DeSoto replied. **

**"Likely she'll need an 'indoor' set and an 'outdoor' set," Dr. Gallagher observed with a sympathetic wince. "That'll be expensive with her prescription as it is!" **

**"It's not coming out of her pocket thought," Dr. Knowles reminded them. "The rental agency's liability insurance is picking up the bill for her treatments." **

**"Why do you think we're doing everything we can here?" Dr. Gallagher grinned. "Our ultimate goal is to have her able to function on the outside."**

"**You mean drive her car, work, and ride her motorcycle," Tara grinned. **

"**I thought only members of that club rode bikes in your town," DeSoto remarked. **

"**No, that's not the case. You just generally see more of the club than individual riders. Cat – Mrs. Trager – has been riding since she first came to town," Tara explained. **

"**Good for her!" DeSoto enthusiastically exclaimed **

"**Yeah, I've seen her on that monster of hers," Gallagher added. "She handles it well. Surprised she's not going through withdrawals." **

**Tara shook her head and smiled. 'If you only knew!'**

* * *

**Unser sighed after Lumpy told him what he wanted to know about the assault and vandalism that had occurred at his gym. He wasn't happy with himself for having to act like the 'bad cop'. He genuinely liked Lumpy, who was as much a friend of the club as Unser had been until recently.**

** 'It's really not easy to keep the good of the many in mind, instead of the good of the few you care about most.' ** **Invoking Immigration and Naturalization wasn't a tool Unser wanted to use to ** **gain intel, as Lumpy was partial to giving illegal immigrants a day job, paying ** **them in cash. He'd had to do it to get the corroborating statement he needed. **

**CPD had already received witness statements identifying a Hispanic male riding a distinctive type of motorcycle – a Harley with 'ape hanger' handle bars – ** **speeding from the Liberty Street business district around the time dispatch received the 911 call. **

'**I've got to do what I can to prevent another gang war between the Mayans and SAMCRO!' Unser thought to himself, sighing in resignation and rising from the ** **bed. He was nearly to the door when the SAMCRO members who hadn't gone to ** **Belfast – Tig, Piney, the prospect, and Kozik - burst inside. He was slightly ** **annoyed to see them, after only encountering Tig in the hallway. ****He slid past the quartet after muttering that they'd already done enough to the former boxer.**

'**What's that supposed to mean?' Tig wondered to himself, glaring at the police ** **chief's retreating back.**

**Piney was shocked at Lumpy's appearance, as was Miles. They knew Lumpy had a head injury, but weren't prepared for the actual sight of the bandage wrapped around his head, and the man's pale features. Piney patted his comrade's leg in sympathy. **

**Miles reported what he'd overheard Lumpy tell Unser. ** **Tig frowned in consternation to hear Lumpy say he wasn't going to repair the ** **gym. 'That's not what he told Cat!' The timbre of Lumpy's voice was weak and ** **frail, weaker than when he'd first come to. 'I've got a bad feelin' about this!' His bad feeling got worse when Miles announced that the unknown assailant told Lumpy not to mess with the Mayans. **

**It made plenty of sense to Piney. He didn't trust anyone of color. He never had. It was part of the by laws and something he'd practiced since childhood. It didn't surprise him that Alvarez and his group would violate the recently bartered agreement before it was a full day old. **

**Neither Kozik nor Tig agreed with Piney's assessment, though they didn't say so ** **in front of Lumpy. Kozik was upset to hear Lumpy say he was going to sell. 'Damn ****Sebastian anyway! This wouldn't be happenin' if he'd done his job!' **

**Tig was leaning against the footboard of Lumpy's bed. "Lump," he stated softly. ** "**Don't ya remember tellin' Cat to contact your insurance carrier and start a claim? Ya know we're gonna help ya get things back to rights!" **

**Lumpy frowned a moment. "Oh, yeah! I remember having to tell de insurance ** **people it vas OK for dem to talk to Cat! She said you'd help!"**

"**And we will, Lump," Tig assured him. **

"**Yeah!" Kozik exclaimed. **

**Tig glared at the Tacoma SAA before continuing, "So no more of this talk about ** **sellin', Lump. Anybody asks, ya tell 'em you haven't made up your mind." **

"**I haven't made up my mind," Lumpy agreed weakly. **

"**You just rest and get better, Lumpy," Tig added. "Cat'll be back soon; she had ** **some tests to take."**

"**I remember. I just vant to sleep!"**

"**We'll find the fucktards that did this Lump!" Kozik vehemently promised. ** "**We'll make 'em pay!" **

**Tig made a slicing gesture across his throat, signaling for Kozik to shut up. ** **He then nodded his head at the door to indicate they should leave and let the ** **patient rest. The quartet filed out the door and strode down the hallway, discussing the situation. **

**Tig informed Piney of Lumpy's call the day before and the club's subsequent visit to the gym. "I left Sebastian behind to keep watch until this mornin', no one's seen him since. I've got Phil trackin' him down."**

**Miles' eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hair, but he remained silent. For ** **whatever reason, Phil hadn't called Tig with the news about Sebastian. 'He might've decided to wait to tell Tig in person. He's not gonna be happy, that's for sure!'**

**The quartet stopped in front of a nurses' station at the end of Lumpy's hallway where Tara was writing some notes. ** **Kozik took one look at Tara's pale expression and loudly assured her the club ** **had reached Belfast OK, which earned him a hissed warning from Tig.**

** Tara thanked Kozik, and gazed at Tig inquiringly. He was leaning against the nurses' station, one arm stretched out behind Tara's back. She ** **assured him everything was OK and walked on down the hall. **

**Kozik felt a twinge of confusion from Tig's behavior. 'One minute the guy's treatin' me like a friend, the next like I'm a leper!' Piney swept an avuncular arm around the Tacoma rider's shoulder with a reassuring laugh as they headed down the hall. **

'**Well! Look what the dog drug in!' Tig thought to himself as he spied Earnest ** **Darby walking stiffly along the corridor towards them. He was right in front of ** **the chapel when the club blocked him from proceeding. **

**'What better place for a 'come to Jesus meeting' than the chapel?' Tig grinned wickedly, shoving the former Nords leader inside.**

**Kozik politely requested the civilian inside give them a few moments privacy. The civilian hastily complied, not minding at all that his moment of reflection had been interrupted. **

**As soon as the door shut behind the civilian, Tig began interrogating Darby about his previous day's visit to Lumpy. **

* * *

**Hector stretched and yawned, shielding his eyes against the sunlight streaming into the bedroom through the window. His woman lay beside him, curled on her ** **side, one arm across his waist.** **He leaned over to kiss Luisa good morning. "Wake up, **_**Chula.**_** It's gonna be a busy day!"**

**She stirred and moaned in denial, but accepted and returned the kiss. "I'd** **rather stay here with you," she murmured.**

"**So would I, but we have things to do," he replied. "We need to find Jax Teller's old lady!"**

**Luisa shook her head as she sat up. They had spent the night on a mattress on ** **the floor of her aunt's house. "Where are we gonna start, Hector?"**

"**That vintage Olds is gonna be a big help," he advised. "I'll bet there aren't more than one runnin' in that part of the county! Should make it easier to find her."**

"**I hope you're right, Hector." She slipped on her jeans, sneakers, and a comfortable shirt, then grabbed her cell phone. It was nearly out of battery power. "We'll have to charge this in the car," she observed.**

**Hector hurried into his own clothes, slipping his pistol behind his back into** **the waistband of his pants, covering it with his shirt. He felt naked without his cut. It ****was a part of him as much as Luisa, and he missed it greatly.**

**Luisa wasn't watching him dress. She was thinking of how to find either the black Olds or the man who'd hired them. "It's gonna be like trying to find a needle in a haystack!' She turned to say something to her lover and saw the miserable light in his eyes.** "**I know, baby," Luisa looked at him in understanding. "I know it hurts. We'll ** **make them pay."**

**Hector merely grunted, grabbed the keys to the car and proceeded down the stairs. Luisa stared after him, then followed behind him. They walked wordlessly to the car, squinting against the bright sunshine.** **They stopped at a drive - through restaurant to pick up coffee and some breakfast before ** **driving to Charming.**

** It would be time consuming to cruise up and down every ** **street, looking for the Oldsmobile. Hector determined that they would start at ** **Teller's house, and venture forward in an ever – widening circle from there.** **The longer the search progressed, the more irritable Hector became. 'There's** **far too many Gringas in this town, and far too many with long dark hair!'**

**Luisa was also getting irritable. It was hot and stuffy in the car, even with the windows rolled all the way down. Hector didn't want to stop very often, and became annoyed with her when she needed to empty her bladder more often than he did.**

**Luisa wasn't willing to squat behind bushes to do her business. At least not in ** **a residential area. That meant finding an obliging gas station or grocery store ** **for her to use, and that took precious time from the search.**

**Then they had a stroke of luck, due in part to Luisa's need to use the facilities. There in the parking lot of _'Hannah's Place'_, **** they found the Mercedes Benz their 'employer' had driven. **

**Luisa rushed into the restaurant and scanned the seating area on her way to the bathroom.** '**It's him!" Luisa gleefully reported when she returned to the car. He'll know ** **where we can find that bitch!"**

* * *

**The orderly had little to say during the short trip from Lumpy's floor to hers. Cat made a couple of attempts to draw him out, but only received mono – syllabic grunts as replies. She shrugged her shoulders and concentrated on enjoying her coffee. 'Some folks just aren't talkative,' she consoled herself.**

**Dr. Gallagher and Dr. DeSoto were waiting for her in her room. Neither looked very pleased. **

**The orderly wheeled her inside and waited for her to get out of the chair on her own. Cat complied and moved to her bed at Dr. DeSoto's unspoken direction. The moment enough distance opened up between Cat and the chair, the orderly backed out the doorway and vanished. **

**Neither doctor returned her greeting. **

**"Uh, oh! What's wrong, guys?"**

"**We didn't expect you to be off gallivanting around the hospital!" Dr. Gallagher ** **admonished her. **

"**We didn't know what to think when we walked in and found your bed empty!" Dr. ** **DeSoto added testily. **

"**The nurses knew where I was!" She protested. "A good friend of ours, Lumpy ** **Feldstein, was beaten pretty badly last night." **

"**We heard about that," Gallagher assured her, "We just didn't expect you to be ** **gone all this time!" **

**The doctors set to work checking her pupils and other vital signs, grunting at ** **each other over the results. "There ****appears to be no damage done from this ** **adventure. Guess your old man did a good job of keeping you out of mischief." ** **Gallagher teased her. ****"If you behave the rest of the day, we might consider letting you go home." **

"**That'd be nice! I miss my furbabies!" Cat replied, her eyes glittering with hope behind the tinted insert.**

**Dr. DeSoto asked her if she were seeing any spots in her vision or had any degree of headache or dizziness. ** "**None. I still feel a little tired, though not as bad as before," she replied.**

"**Good. We're worried about the current minor injuries and the previous head ** **injuries causing future detrimental problems for you. We've decided to treat ** **this via a pharmaceutical regimen," Dr. DeSoto informed her. **

**"We're taking the ** **current therapy for the depression/PTSS into consideration. ****We're also going to send your file to your current GP, so that she can help you ** **maintain the therapy," Dr. Gallagher added. "I can't stress how important it is for you to follow this therapy."**

"**C'mon, doc! I know I've got a reputation for bein' a rebel, but I'm not _that_ bad!" She quipped. **

"**No, you're not as bad as some, but not as good as most," Gallagher mused. "If we take preventative measures now, the chance of you suffering memory loss in ** **the future will be diminished." **

"**Or, in plain English, the less chance of me forgettin' things from one minute to the next, like my step – mom," she observed. **

"**That's what we want to try to avoid," Dr. ****DeSoto replied. **

"**So there really aren't any more tests to be run, all y'all just wanted to give me a good lecture," Cat stated, glaring from one doctor to the other. "I appreciate that. Guess this is one area where I can 'obey', just don't tell Tig I capitulated!"**

"**I can live with that," Gallagher laughed.**

"**I'll have a prescription written out for your pharmacy; it'll be in your discharge papers. In the meantime, we'll send you home with a week's worth," Dr. DeSoto added. "Try to take it easy for the rest of the week, nothing vigorous like uprooting trees or leaping tall buildings in a single bound."**

"**That also means you can drive, read, work, and yes – "Gallagher put up a hand ** **to stall her excited question "- even ride your motorcycle. Just as long as you ** **don't experience any of the symptoms we ****discussed earlier."**

"**Any sudden nosebleeds or blurred vision, call your GP or come here at once!" Dr DeSoto instructed. **

**Cat wrinkled her nose. "I supposed y'all are gonna send a letter to Tig to tell him what to watch for!"**

"**I hadn't thought of it, but now that you mention it!" Dr. Gallagher retorted with a wink. "Where is he, anyway? I thought he'd be here with you to hear this first hand." **

"**Club business," she replied. "Before y'all comment, he's tryin' to find out who attacked Lumpy." **

"**I understand," Gallagher assured her.**

* * *

"**I should've known Hale was behind this shit! It reeks of his slime!" Tig growled after the hospital Chapel's double doors closed behind Darby. **

**They club had learned a lot from their interrogation, though the former Nords leader had refused to admit that he'd had a part in the arson at the Caracara Studios. He claimed the burns on his hands and face were chemically induced.** **He'd not been as evasive about giving detailed information about Jacob Hale** **offering him money to 'persuade' Lumpy to sell.**

** Darby admitted he did talk to the boxer, but to warn him someone else would ****turn up the heat under the pressure for him to sell. He denied returning to the gym the night before to vandalize the property, much less harm his old friend. **

**"I still have **_**some**_** respect for the old man!"**

**The quartet walked out of the hospital Chapel and on toward the exit to the** **parking lot. Kozik's and Myles' bikes were parked beside the garage van Piney had driven. Filthy Phil was waiting for them, sitting on his parked Harley.**

"**What's the 411 on Sebastian?" Tig growled as he walked up to the portly** **prospect.**

"**Gone. Vamoosed. Hit the road," Phil replied. "He's moved on without a** **forwarding address."**

"**I found his cut and the gun you gave him on the hood of the tow truck this morning," Miles added before Tig could reply. "The ****gun wasn't fired. I stuck 'em in my locker for safe keeping."**

"**Apparently he had all the wrong ideas about what prospectin' SAMCRO was all** **about," Piney observed. "I heard some interestin' intel from the coffeehouse** **when I picked up breakfast for you an' Cat."**

"**What?" Tig's eyes narrowed in anger and frustration. 'Did Cat know about this? Is that why she had such little faith in Sebastian?'**

**Piney told the SAA about Sebastian's overbearing behavior at the coffeehouse and Chibs' handling of it. "That's why Sebastian wasn't around the clubhouse the ** **other day."**

"**He was really antsy yesterday morning, kept going to the doorway to see if it ** **was a good time to talk to you, Tig," Phil ****added. "I guess he wanted to tell you then he wanted to quit. You and Kozik fightin' over tools scared him off."**

"**He definitely was green around the gills when we left Lumpy's," Myles stated. "But he seemed OK when I called to check on his last night."**

"**He told Myles he'd never touched a gun before you gave him one yesterday, Tig!"** **Phil offered. "I think whoever broke in and shot up Lumpy's scared him into leavin' town."**

"**A'right already! Enough!" Tig roared, throwing his arms in the air. "He's gone and there's nothin' we can do about it! We've got more important things to do than track down a coward!"** **He stormed to the van and climbed into the passenger seat, slamming the door after ****him. "C'mon! We need to get this intel** **to Unser before he confronts Alvarez!"**

**Piney exchanged amused looks with the other three before he ambled to the driver's side of the van and climbed in. **

**Kozik and Myles mounted their bikes and fired their ignitions, rolling into place behind the van.**

**Tig was angry that Sebastian had left Lumpy in harm's way. It frustrated him** **that the prospect had hightailed it out of town to avoid any repercussions from ** **his lack of action. 'Maybe we need a better method to determine makin' hangarounds prospects! This never should've happened!'**

**Sebastian's cowardice baffled Tig. He'd been mouthy as a hang around, but was ** **always willing to do whatever he was asked without question. He'd definitely impressed Opie into believing he was ****ready to join and hadn't given off a vibe ** **that he would become a shrinking violet in the face of potential danger. Nor ** **could Tig couldn't conceive of a man reaching Sebastian's age and never touching a gun. ****'How could I have trusted Lumpy's safety to such a wimp?'**

**Piney watched the SAA out of the corner of his eye as he drove to the police station. He knew Tig was upset about what had happened to his friend. Piney was just as outraged about the situation. "It's not your fault, Tigger," he growled softly. "Ya had no idea that the kid was havin' a change of heart."**

**Tig snorted derisively. "All the signs were there if I'd been lookin'! I let other things cloud my judgment!"**

"**If you're includin' Cat as one of those 'other things', ya better start singin' ** **another tune!" Piney warned him. "Yer old ****lady ain't 'other things'!"**

**Tig glared across the van interior at the founding member. "Sometimes you're** **too smart for your own damn good, old man!"**

**"That's how I stay alive, young one," he laughed. Any animosity he felt over the SAA's accidental murder of his daughter - in - law had died once he'd learned of Stahl's duplicity. His main regret was that Opie hadn't told him about Stahl's mechanization. 'If he had, I never would've tried to kill Clay in the chapel!'**

**"For the record, old man, I **_**never**_** consider my girl an obstacle to club business!" Tig growled. 'Not when she damn near pushed me out the door to handle this shit!'**

**"Ya better not, Tigger. She's one of the good ones."**

**"Ya don't have to tell me!" Tig snorted.**

**They pulled into the parking lot to CPD, followed by Kozik and the prospects.** **"You three wait out here," Tig instructed. "No need for all of us to barge in there." He glanced at Kozik and added, "See if you can reach Alvarez, make sure none of the Mayans had anything to do with it."**

**"Copy that," Kozik replied, digging out his cell phone.**

* * *

**Lumpy sighed with relief to be left on his own. He was tired. More tired than he could ever remember feeling. It hadn't been so bad when it was just Cat and Tig ****sitting with him. Nor had it bothered him to tell Cat everything that had happened. He knew she would relay it to Tig.**

**He'd grown more fatigued and ill when Unser came in and began pressing him for ** **answers. He wouldn't have given in had Unser not threatened to bring the** **Immigration and Naturalization enforcers into the mix.** '**That would scare the people I help for no good reason,' he realized, giving in to Unser's demands.**

**Once he'd given the police chief what he wanted, four of the SAMCRO men,** **including Tig, burst into his room. Lumpy feared that Unser and the boys might ** **get into a fight, but the police chief departed quietly and left the club to visit with the boxer.**

**His head hurt. The room lighting hurt his ****eyes, so he kept them closed while the boys were there. He knew Piney had been shocked and saddened by his appearance. 'I vish I could've told him 'tank you' for caring! I vas just too tired!'**

**He hadn't meant to suggest to the boys that he wouldn't rebuild. It had slipped ** **out. Tig had reminded him that Cat had already started the insurance claim, and ** **he'd be back in business before long.**

'**I just don't feel like vorking any more. Everything hurts. I just vant peace.' He drifted off to sleep as soon as the club left his room, slipping into a place where he didn't feel the pain. He was aware of his surroundings, of the nurses and doctors coming and going, but he didn't hurt any more. He gladly gave in to the feeling of peace, feeling the pain float away from him like a boat on the river. **

* * *

**Ally Lowen didn't have to return Cat Marshall's call; she knew about Lumpy's** **situation from the news report she'd read on – line. There were write ups on the event in the ****San Joaquin Chronicle ****and the local electronic media news sites,** **She told the receptionist to reschedule her appointments for the day due to a ** **client's emergency. "If they ask why, just tell them to read the news stories about the assault on Lumpy," she instructed. ****"I'll be at St. Thomas and I'll touch base with Mrs. Trager."**

**Instead of waiting on a file clerk to retrieve it for her, Ally rushed into the file room to retrieve Lumpy's file. She took everything, including his living will paperwork.**

**She drove quickly to St. Thomas, parked in the lot, and rushed inside. After a few moments of verbal finagling, she was given Lumpy's room number and hurried to the elevator area.**

**When she arrived on Lumpy's floor, Ally went straight to the nurse's station to ** **deliver the living will. Lumpy had been very specific about not wanting 'heroic' measures taken if he were ever seriously injured or sick. The living will insured that he would be kept comfortable, but he would not be put on any machines to prolong his life. "You might want to add my telephone number to the emergency contacts," Ally added.**

**The nurse on duty immediately made a copy of the living will and put it in the ** **Feldstein file, adding a large 'DNR' sticker to the outside. She took a wrist band into Lumpy's room, and attached it to Lumpy's wrist, just above his ID wrist band. The red ****letters 'DNR' stood out against the white band.**

**Ally followed the nurse to Lumpy's room and winced when she saw the gauze ** **covering her client's head. He looked very pale; blue veins stood out against his white skin. His eyes were closed, but he seemed to be breathing ** **regularly.**

**The tough as nails attorney had to fight off tears as she stroked the back of her client's hand. "I'm so sorry, Lumpy!" she choked. "Whoever's behind this should be skinned alive!"**

**She stood watching him sleep for a few moments, then straightened her shoulders ** **and stepped out into the hallway, dialing the hospital information number as she ** **walked down the hall to the elevator. **

**While she waited for a car, she was able to obtain Cat's room number. 'I might as well meet ****with her and get her prepared for what might come!'**

**Cat wasn't in her room when Ally peeked inside. The nurse on duty informed her ** **that the patient was at the eye clinic and would be returning soon. Ally decided to wait for her in the quiet room, instead of the nearby lounge. She needed some peace and quiet herself.**

* * *

**Once Drs. Gallagher and DeSoto were finished with her, Cat was taken to the eye ** **clinic for another round with Dr. Smythe. This wouldn't be an intensive examination like the previous day. All he had to do was determine her new prescription for lenses.**

**This involved having the patient sit with their head resting against a large machine. Lenses of varying strengths were placed inside the machine in front of the patient's eyes, enabling the patient to get the clearest possible vision. The machine had the ability to black out one eye while the strength or weakness of the other eye was determined.**

**Cat endured the process with a minimum of fuss. She was well used to the procedure and knew the more she cooperated, the sooner it'd be over.** **Eventually, Dr. Smythe was satisfied with the end result, and wrote a prescription that could be filled at any eye glass center. **

**"I'd prefer you use a regular optometrist, as opposed to one of those national chains. Only because I don't have a lot of confidence in those chain outlets."**

"**Sometimes I don't, either," Cat agreed, recalling the optical company her family ****had used for decades in Louisville, KY. "Especially with the challenges my vision and lack of inner lenses present."**

"**That was a surprise when I removed the sliver," Dr. Smythe admitted. "I've never had a patient that didn't have lenses inside their eyes. Yours was a particularly stubborn case of cataracts in its' day."**

"**You're tellin' me!" Cat growled. "I guess nowadays, y'all can use lasers to destroy that bugger!"**

"**Close enough. Nothing quite as radical as what you went through. I'm going to request the strongest possible tint for outdoor use on one pair, and one for ** **indoor use. You might still find yourself needing the tinted insert from time to time," he informed her.**

"**It's not the first time I've had to change glasses, it won't be the last," Cat ** **shrugged. "Comes with the territory. Will my eyes always be more sensitive to ** **light than they used to be?"**

**Dr. Smythe crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against his desk. "That's ** **difficult to tell right now. The sensitivity may diminish as healing continues, ** **It may remain as it is now. Time will tell."**

* * *

**Tig glared in angry disbelief at Unser. How could the Chief ignore the intel he and Piney had just presented? 'His nose doesn't look brown, but it's obviously ** **attached to Hale's ass!' he fumed inwardly.**

**He and Piney had shared with Unser what they'd gleaned from their 'interview' ** **with Earnest Darby, who admitted that Jacob Hale had not only approached him ** **about 'convincing' Lumpy to sell his business, but had paid him as well. **

**Even ** **though the former Nords leader had thrown the money back in Hale's face, Tig ** **believed that was reason enough to bring Hale in for questioning about the assault and vandalism.**

'**Unser must be usin' this as a way to get back at me for that remark I made** **yesterday!' Tig glowered. 'It's the only thing that makes sense! The deputy chief used to hassle us with far less proof!'**

**Piney was no less angry, though he wasn't surprised by the police chief's attitude. He'd suspected Unser had switched camps when he witnessed the love fest between him and Hale in front of Floyd's barber shop a few days ago.**

**Unser stared back at the two outlaws, wishing he could confide in them. He felt ** **that something fishy was going on in the Liberty Street business area. He couldn't officially do anything about it. Not without proof. 'As things stand now, if I put manpower and time into anything beyond investigating the assault on Lumpy, Hale will have CPD disbanded before I can breathe twice!'**

**That wasn't stopping him from doing his own investigation, and he fully intended ** **to talk to Darby about the Sons' accusations. Until he had the documentation he'd requested Eglee to obtain from the clerk's office, his hands were tied. He wanted to get to the bottom of who had harmed Lumpy as much as SAMCRO; if for no other reason than to prevent a war between the Mayans and the Sons.**

**His phone rang and he inwardly blessed whoever was being transferred. The call ** **had come in at just the right moment. He dismissed Tig and Piney to take the ** **call. "**

**Give me a minute," he informed the reporter on the line as he watched the two bikers' angry ****departure from his office.** **Unser quickly dealt with the reporter, who was asking for an update on the assualt and vandalism and ended the call. He sat back in his chair, staring across to the wall across from him. He wondered if he should've taken Tig and Piney into his confidence. **

'**Maybe the boys are right; Hale could have something to do with this. But I've **_**got**_** to have one **_**Hell**_** of a lot more than Darby's and the Sons report to make any charges against Hale!'**

* * *

"**I'm tellin' you, **_**esse**_**, the Mayans were nowhere in Charming last night!" Marcus ** **Alvarez quietly informed Kozik. He'd listened silently to the Tacoma SAA's ** **commentary. He showed no emotion when Kozik repeated what Lumpy had been told by his assailant. "I have no need or desire to start an unnecessary war with SAMCRO. Somebody is using my club for a scapegoat."**

"**We believe ya, Alvarez!" Kozik hastily assured him. "But I had to make sure. ** **Whoever did the deed was ridin' the same ****kind of bike your club favors, with the ** **ape hangers."**

"**But you also mentioned the assailant's face was banged up. None of my men are ** **injured on the face – or anywhere else," Alvarez insisted. "Ape hangers are not ** **limited to the Mayans."**

"**I know that, too!"**

"**It definitely sounds like someone with bad blood for both your club and mine. Can you think of anyone that meets that criteria?" Alvarez inquired.** "

**Yes, I can. I'll tell Tig; he's top man while Clay's gone."**

"**Let me know if I and my club can help," Alvarez replied.**

**Kozik noticed Tig and Piney walk out of CPD. 'I've got a bad feelin' about this!' He informed Tig of the conversation he'd just completed with Alvarez. "He thinks someone with a beef against both clubs is behind the beatin'."**

**Tig glanced meaningfully at Piney. "Who do we know that would have reason to ** **strike against both clubs?"**

"**Salazar!" Kozik piped up.**

"**Time we had a little chat with the boy," Tig snarled, storming to the van. Piney and the others fell into step behind him.**

* * *

**A different orderly than the one that had ****collected her from Lumpy's floor piloted a weary Cat back to her room. She glanced at Ally, who was sitting quietly in a corner, and nodded a greeting.**

"**Do you need a pain pill, ma'am?" The orderly inquired as Cat climbed onto the ** **bed.**

"**Nah. It's a two. I'm just bushed." She assured the orderly. "I could do with ** **a nap."**

"**I'll let the nurses know you're back," the orderly replied, piloting the wheelchair out the door and on into the hallway.** **Cat stretched out, not caring that she was still wearing her street clothes. It felt good to her to be out of the hospital attire for awhile. She sighed tiredly and glanced back over at Ally, who was wide awake and looking back at her.**

"**Let me guess, y'all came out to check on Lumpy for yourself and just happened to be in the neighborhood," Cat remarked on the lawyer's presence.**

"**Something like that. Actually, I dropped off a copy of Lumpy's living will with his nurses," Ally replied, moving the chair up closer to Cat's bed. "What the Hell happened?"**

"**Whoever is beyond the buy up of the properties on Liberty Street apparently ran ** **outta patience. Lumpy was gonna sell, but I convinced him to file an insurance ** **claim so the interior can be repaired."**

"**That's good. If he recovers, he'll want to go right back to work. Was there any structural or exterior damage?"**

"**CPD didn't see any, and the adjustor is out there now to do an inspection and initial estimate. Lump spoke with 'em when I filed the claim and gave his permission for me to deal with 'em on his behalf."**

"**Good thinking. Has the doctor given any insights into his chances of recovery?"**

"**It doesn't look good," Cat sighed.**

"**How long has this buy out been going on?"**

**Cat filled the lawyer in on what she knew, gleaned from Tig's earlier conversation with Lumpy. She didn't tell the lawyer that Tig, along with Juice and Bobby, had gone to the gym to sell some black market steroids. "Lumpy had been trying to tell me about it following the CBA meetings, but Jacob Hale or one of his cronies would always hang around whenever they saw us talking together. Frankly, I think Hale's behind the leveraged buy outs."**

* * *

**Jacob Hale preferred to have his daily snack and coffee at _'Hannah's Place'_, the ****family restaurant near the town line. He ****tried _'Charming Pawse'_ a few times. ** **He'd liked the comfortable atmosphere that allowed him to visit with the customers, his fellow citizens. After he'd successfully turned down Cat Marshall's request to use the city park for her Peace Rally against LOAN, he'd decided that her obvious association with SAMCRO wasn't good for his digestive system and returned to 'Hannah's Place' for his daily snack****. ****'Why pay out the nose for coffee and a pastry there, when I can get unlimited coffee and a large piece of pie here for half the price?' **

**On this particular day, instead of enjoying his coffee and pie, they lay untouched on the table in front of him. He was thinking back to a few weeks ago, when his brother had been alive. He'd brought Ethan Zobelle and AJ Weston to this very same restaurant to discuss LOAN coming to Charming to eliminate SAMCRO.**

** Hale had introduced his brother, David, to the men, ****but the Deputy Chief wanted nothing to do with the group. Now David was dead, and Jacob was left to carry on the work that LOAN had started. That was the only way Hale could get the financial support he needed for Charming Heights and Liberty ** **Street. **

**The restaurant wasn't filled to capacity. Only a few families were seated in the booths around him. A handful of elderly gentlemen were perched at the counter in front of the kitchen. Hale sat in his usual seat next to the plate glass window that gave him a clear view of the highway traffic.**

**The restaurant – hell, even the whole town - was buzzing about the assault on Lumpy Feldstein. A few dark mutterings against the high handed tactics the buyers employed reached his ears, including speculation that he was one of the buyers! ** **Those rumblings didn't really bother him. It was only normal for people to assume he was involved in a major property purchase because he owned the most commercial properties in Charming.**

** The negative comments would've worried him a lot more had he not taken steps to keep the names of the buyers out of the newspaper. He couldn't keep them out of the official documents on file with clerk's office. Zobelle had provided him with all the necessary information for the shell company that acted as the buyer of record, but the list of investors was safe and sound under the watchful eye of his contact person there, Eriqueka ** **McCloud. **

**Hale had followed Zobelle's instructions to the letter. He knew he was ** **protected, but he couldn't help worrying about the effect the speculation would ** **have on his political aspirations. ** '**I've got to do something to take the negative spotlight off me!' He thought ** **anxiously. 'If I don't do something soon, I could lose the election before I announce my candidacy!'**

**As he gazed out the window and wracked his brain for ideas, Chief Unser walked ** **into the restaurant and headed straight to Hale's booth. He slid into the booth onto the bench opposite Hale without waiting for an invite. The waitress walked up to Unser with a menu and a coffee carafe in her hand, but he waved her away. ** **Unser stared at the untouched pie on the table, then into Hale's face. 'The man ** **looks like he's aged since David died!' Unser observed to himself. "I can kind ** **of appreciate that feeling!"**

**They commiserated over the crime committed against Lumpy, and the injury done to him. Hale suddenly realized that he could use the situation to his advantage, and raised his voice so the other diners could hear him. He lamented on the damage done to the gym and Lumpy's critical condition. He worried aloud over a potential war between SAMCRO and the Mayans, which set the clientele to renewed whispers. Hale finished by loudly proclaiming he'd done everything possible to keep Charming's law enforcement intact, but he was running out of options. **

**This caused some of the patrons to glare in anger and concern at Unser. Some of ** **their looks plainly asked him what he was going to do prevent a gang war. The ** **showdown on Main Street between SAMCRO and the Mayans over Zobelle was still fresh in their minds.**

**Unser was inwardly shocked by Hale's behavior and flushed at the attention the ** **restaurant's clients suddenly paid him. 'I shouldn't be surprised that Hale would stoop this low!' Unser fumed. 'He's playing on public sentiment to throw CPD under the wheels and further shake their confidence in SAMCRO!' **

**Unser felt bad enough about Lumpy's condition. He was fighting hard for CPD's ** **future and the safety of Charming's citizenry. He knew Hale was playing ** **against him to make himself look good to the public, and it annoyed him.**

"**CPD doesn't exist as your personal security system, Jacob," Unser replied ** **evenly. "We're here to protect **_**all**_** of Charming's population, no matter how much money they have. I've made it my ****personal mission to find the man who hurt ** **Lumpy and bring him to justice." **

**While Hale and Unser traded verbal pot shots, Elliot Oswald walked into the ** **restaurant, looking for the police chief. He wanted to talk to Unser about Liberty Street, and had seen the chief's patrol car in the parking lot. He hadn't realized that Hale was present until he'd walked inside, by that time, it was too late to make a dignified exit. **

'**Shit! This isn't going to be pretty!' Oswald thought to himself. He pasted on his best smile and walked towards the pair. **

**Hale stormed out of the booth, spied his potential political rival, and loudly called the patrons' attention to the fact that Oswald had posted the bond that ** **allowed SAMCRO out of jail. It was clear that Hale believed if SAMCRO hadn't ** **gotten out of jail, Lumpy wouldn't have been hurt. He strode right past Oswald ** **to the exit. **

**No one watching the tableau was able to see the triumphant smile on Hale's face, ** **nor the small victory dance he performed outside the restaurant. ** **The interior of the restaurant had gone silent, leaving Oswald feeling slightly ** **embarrassed to be the center of unwanted attention. He slid into the booth Hale ** **had vacated to talk with Unser.**

**Unser shook his head at Hale's dramatic exit. He inwardly agreed with Oswald's ** **assessment of Hale, but kept his opinions to himself. Too many people might ** **overhear him and get the word to Hale. He had enough difficulty with contending with Hale's overbearing ** **attitude on a daily basis without adding to the ** **already roaring fire. **

**Oswald was no happier about Lumpy's situation than Unser. He also reiterated ** **what the police chief had heard from Officer Eglee about the property buy outs ** **on Liberty Street. He informed Unser that he'd done his own investigation and ** **found that none of the targeted businesses were in foreclosure. **

"**How'd you get involved in it?" Unser inquired. **

"**It's been discussed under the table at the business owner's association meetings," Oswald explained. "Cat had to run interference and keep Hale busy enough for me to have a word with Lumpy. He's ****been the sole hold out, but the pressure on him to sell was getting more intense. That's when I started looking into it." **

**Unser squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. 'This sure lends a lot of credence to what Tig and Piney told me earlier!'**

"**Hale is barking up the wrong tree in claiming a war is going to break out ** **between SAMCRO and the Mayans," Hale added, detailing how he witnessed an ** **exchange of money between Alvarez and Clay for a joint venture. "Somebody is ** **going to a lot of trouble to make it look like a war could break out," Oswald continued. "If I were wearing your badge, I'd ask myself who has the most to gain by a war between two powerful clubs." **

**That definitely hit home with Unser. He knew who Oswald was referring to. It ** **only made the two SAMCRO members' claims more viable. 'There's no getting ** **around it, I definitely need to pay a call on Darby!' **

* * *

**"Just because Hale or one of his friends would hang around you and Lumpy after the CBA meetings doesn't prove that Jacob's involved in this," Ally noted.**

"**It's not evidence that he's not, either," Cat retorted. "Lumpy is the only property owner who has not sold out. Yesterday, he ****told Tig that he had an interesting visit from Ernest Darby."**

"**The former Nords leader?"**

**Cat nodded. "Darby made it clear to Lumpy that he should take the next offer ** **made to him, unless he wanted to risk havin' somethin' bad happen."**

"**That's a little more explicit. Maybe Darby's behind the assault!"**

**Cat shook her head slightly. "No. Darby's a lot of things, but he's not a hired thug. Besides, if Darby had done the deed, he wouldn't dare show his face around here. But he came out to visit Lumpy earlier today."**

"**Sounds like a good way to throw suspicion off himself," Lowen observed.**

"**Ordinarily, I'd agree. It turns out that Lumpy once taught Darby the fine art of boxing. Apparently the old racist was very fond of our friend," Cat replied.**

"**Well, I'll be damned!" Ally stated in surprise. "Who knew?"**

"**Two minds with the same thought. Guess Darby looked to Lumpy as a mentor as he ** **growing up. That relationship ended when Darby joined the Nords."**

**Ally just shook her head. It was hard for her to contemplate that Darby had ever looked up to the Jewish boxer.**

"**Darby claimed he wanted Lumpy to understand how much danger he was in, but the danger wouldn't originate with him," Cat added.**

"**Do you believe him?"**

"**Yes strangely enough. Lumpy himself told the club and Unser that the assailant was Hispanic, which Darby is definitely not."**

"**That wouldn't keep him from hiring someone to do the dirty work for him," Ally ** **pointed out.**

"**Darby's isn't very fond of people of color. He'd be more likely to hire a redneck."**

"**That's true also, but what if he was working for the people behind the buy out? ** **They might be more inclined to dictate who does the work," Ally pressed on.**

"**Thought about that, too. Darby doesn't take direction well. He wouldn't give a ** **damn about who the shot callers wanted to do the job. Who are they gonna complain to if he didn't follow their instructions?"**

"**You have a point there," Ally reluctantly admitted. "I **_**still**_** don't see how all this implicates Hale!"**

"**Because Darby stated he met with Hale yesterday afternoon, and Hale made it ** '**worth his while' to persuade Lumpy to sell!" Cat hissed.**

"**How do you know this?"**

"**I heard about it," Cat replied evasively.**

**Ally shook her head. "Hearsay. It won't hold up in court, and even though the ** **public thinks highly of you, they'll _never_ believe the brother of the deputy chief could be that low down!"**

"**I know! He'd be likely to say I was tryin' to sling mud to take the attention off my affiliation with the club."**

"**I think you took care of that quite satisfactorily," Ally grinned. ****"I understand what you're saying; you're not the type to support someone like Darby without good reason. The problem remains that you have nothing to present that will stand up in the court of law, much less the court of public opinion!"**

'**Which means the guys are gonna have one Hell of a time tryin' to convince Unser ** **of the same thing!' Cat thought dejectedly.**

**Ally opened her briefcase and removed a long file folder from it. "In light of Lumpy's condition, I think it's best I share this information with you, so you'll be prepared for it."**

"**Something tells me I might not like this," Cat observed dryly. She gingerly ** **accepted the folder from the lawyer and opened it cautiously, as if she expected ** **a snake to jump out at her. "What the Hell is all this? It looks like a will!"**

"**That's exactly what it is," Ally replied with a small smile. "It appears that Lumpy thinks highly of you and Tig and someone named 'Herman Kozik'. He's made you executrix of his estate, and is leaving the gym to be managed jointly by your ****husband and this Kozik fella. Who is he, anyway?"**

"**A former friend of Tig's. Tacoma charter SAA," Cat snorted abruptly. "Oh, Lumpy! **_**What**_** were y'all thinkin'! This is like throwin' gas on a roarin' fire!"**

**Ally laughed outright. "He **_**was **_**in sound mind at the time. I suspect he wrote the will to make the two work together instead of against each other. He told me about the friction between the two, but he always referred to 'Herman' as 'Koz'.**

**Cat closed the file and handed it back to Ally. "With any luck, Lumpy will continue to improve and this won't be necessary."**

**Both women jumped as Cat's room phone and the lawyer's cell phone began ringing ** **at the same moment.**

* * *

**Tig frowned intently, his gaze fixed forward through the van's windshield. He took a long drag on his cigarette. **

**Piney wisely kept his own council about their failed mission to find Salazar at his home and confront him about the assault on Lumpy. ** **It had been a well planned attack; Kozik and Phil took the back door while he, Piney, ****and Myles rushed the front. The quintet ****found neither Salazar nor his old lady in the house. No bikes or cars were in the back. The house looked like it'd been unused for several days. **

**Once they'd checked all the rooms in the small house to insure no one was lying in wait to ambush them, Tig sent the prospects on a more thorough search of the premises. Phil and Myles determined only Calavrez MC memorabilia remained in the house. All of Luisa's and Hector's clothes and personal items were gone. **

**"Shit!" Tig growled. "They've flown the coop! Salazar could be anywhere now!" He kicked a cushion across the floor, ripping the seams and sending the cushion's stuffing all over. **

**Tig drew another long puff on the cigarette, burning it down to the filter. He tossed it out the passenger side window and snarled ****"The asshat's hidin' somewhere! He's gotta be in the area. Findin' him's gonna be the hard part!"**

"**That's possible," Piney agreed, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. "But why would he disappear?"**

**Tig snorted a plume of smoke through his nose as an answer.**

"**I know what you're thinkin', Tiggie. What I'm sayin' is how could he know we'd be comin' after him? As far as Salazar knows, there's no one to connect him to the deed. Sebastian ran off and Lumpy's in no shape to ID him."**

**Tig nodded acceptance of the founding member's logic. "True dat. As dumb as he ** **is, Salazar's smart enough to recognize SAMCRO's alliance with Alvarez. We ** **wouldn't immediately jump on the Mayans ****without reachin' out to Alvarez first."**

"**So he must've known we'd come lookin' for him the minute Alvarez denied ** **involvement and named him the culprit!"**

"**Absolutely!" Tig snarled. "None of us ever bothered to find out what kind of ** **vehicle his old lady has. If I were him, I'd hide my bike and ride around in her car."**

"**It's the smart thing to do," Piney sighed. "From what I heard, his old lady is one Hell of a lot smarter than him."**

"**Which isn't sayin' much!" Tig snorted. "Nothin' we can do for it but go back ** **to the clubhouse. That asshat will slip up and we'll get him before long." **

**Tig ** **relaxed against the seat for the first time since they'd left Salazar's home while he contemplated the different ways SAMCRO would retaliate against the former Calavarez prez for harming Lumpy.** **He felt the prepaid vibrate in his pocket and dug it out. Instead of a voice mail, the text message indicator was blinking. He read the short text then glanced at Piney. "Need to make a detour to St. Thomas," he announced grimly.**

**"Cat?"**

**"Lumpy. He's in a coma," Tig replied. "She says it's not good and Lowen's with her."**

* * *

"**Jesus Christ!" Unser sighed, replacing the receiver to his desk phone and ** **shaking his head in dismay. "This is turning into a real clusterfuck!" He'd ** **just learned from the nurse on Lumpy's floor that the patient was in a coma. 'So much for questioning him any further now!'**

**Unser had tracked down Earnest Darby after he left '**_**Hannah's Place'**_**. It didn't ** **surprise Unser that the former gang leader verified the Son's claim about Jacob Hale offering him money to talk Lumpy into selling his property. Darby explained he'd thrown Hale's money back at him, but had warned Lumpy the 'persuasion' to get him to sell would escalate.**

"**I didn't tell the old Jew that Jacob Hale was the one who tried to buy my services," Darby added. "Didn't feel it was necessary at the time. It's not like anyone would be ****willing to take a deaf old boxer's word over an upstanding citizen of the community!"**

'**Yeowtch!' Unser winced inwardly. 'That's the same thing I said to Tig and Piney. It smarts. Guess I deserved it.' He chose not to verbally respond to Darby's remark, choosing instead to thank the hoodlum for his time. "I'll be in touch."**

"**I'm sure you will," Darby retorted, slamming the door to his house in Unser's ** **face.**

**Unser returned to his office to write up his notes from his conversation with Darby, Hale, Oswald, and the two Sons. The only reports that didn't support each other's was Hale's. Unser knew there was no reason for Elliot Oswald and SAMCRO to back up Darby, so they all had to be telling the truth. ** **The common thread was that someone wanted the Liberty Street properties badly ****enough to employ extreme scare tactics to get it. Unser's problem was that there was nothing concrete to tie Hale to the assault. **

**'Maybe there would be if I could find the Hispanic hired after Darby refused the job. Oswald wouldn't lie about witnessing an alliance agreement between SAMCRO and the Mayans.' He sighed and shook his head. 'Hah! While I'm at it, I might as well wish to be cured of this cancer!'**

**Officer Eglee knocked on the door frame, rousing her boss from his thoughts. She stepped inside at his wordless invite and lay a thick folder in front of him. She explained it was everything the clerk's office had on the Liberty Street properties that had been sold.**

**Unser picked up the file and began reading. It was pretty dry at first, as all the quick claim deeds and sales papers were up front. As Eglee had indicated, the sales papers indicated there was a 'shell' ****company taking ownership of the ** **companies. Then he came across the paper that identified the investors in the ** **company, and his eyes widened in surprise. The chief investor was Ethan Zobelle. Listed right after him was Jacob Hale.**

'**It looks like Hale isn't as innocent as he wanted me to believe!' Unser thought ** **grimly. 'That rat bastard's had access to inside information through Zobelle. He might be a Federal fugitive, but I'll bet he still has access to his information network! Hale's been reeling me in like a prize catch, and I took the bait!' **

**He picked up the desk phone receiver and dialed Eglee's extension.**

"**What's up, boss?"**

"**Do we have a list of contacts on the report from Lumpy's gym?"**

"**Sure. It should be on the computer file already. Need me to run a print out?"**

"**Shit! I keep forgettin' we don't store those on paper anymore!" Unser replied wearily.**

"**Anything I can do to help?"**

"**Nah. Just enjoy your night off, hon." He replaced the receiver and booted his ** **computer, then accessed the computer files for the incident reports. He searched by date and time for the report from the gym and maximized it, noting the name of Lumpy's assistant manager. There was also no notation from his investigators whether there was also a video monitoring system.**

'**It's a long shot, but if there is a video tape of the parking lot, as well as the interior, it'll give me a lot more leverage with Hale!'**

* * *

**Cat and Ally simultaneously answered their phones. Ally moved off to a far corner while Cat cradled the room phone receiver against her shoulder.** "**This is Cat."**

"**This is Nurse Brown, I'm Mr. Feldstein's nurse. He just fell into a coma."** **Cat's heart sank.**

** "Damn! Has the doctor seen him?"**

"**Yes ma'am. The prognosis isn't good. I ****thought you might want to be with him. ** **Your nurse is already aware of the situation."**

"**I'm on my way!" She returned the receiver to the cradle and sat up just as ** **Ally shoved her cellphone back into her own pocket. **

**"You got the same word?"**

**The lawyer nodded. She was too emotional to speak.**

"**Then we'll go together," Cat replied determinedly, sliding off the bed and ** **standing gingerly on shaky legs. "Just give me a moment."**

"**Shall I get a wheelchair?" Ally inquired brokenly.**

"**Nah. I'll walk this time. It's not that far." She took a step forward, relieved when she didn't fall flat on her face. She slowly worked her way to the door, which Ally held ****open for her and stepped into the hallway. **

**'I'll contact Alex once we're on Lumpy's floor.' She turned to the nurse's station ** **instead of the elevator.**

"**Hey! You're going the wrong way!" Ally called after her.**

"**You go ahead, I'm gonna arrange for my check out," Cat replied, waving the lawyer on.**

"**Are you sure?" The lawyer followed after her, concern written all over her face.**

"**Damn sure!" Cat affirmed, leaning against the high desk. "All the tests are done so there's no reason for me to stay here as a patient." She issued her request to the nurse and waved the lawyer off to the elevator. "You go on ahead. Lumpy shouldn't be alone."**

**She watched Lowen walk away, adding to ****herself, 'I have a feelin' that I'm gonna be needed elsewhere before long.'**

* * *

**Eriqueka McCloud had been in love with Jacob Hale since they'd been in high school together. He'd never given her the time of day, but that didn't prevent her from being willing to do anything she could to help him in his endeavors to bring economic wealth to Charming in the form of big business. ** **When she landed her position in the clerk's office, she used it to Hale's advantage, though he had no knowledge of her assistance.**

** Often the paperwork his ****secretary/receptionist submitted for his real estate holdings wasn't always correct. Eriqueka would see to it that the paperwork went through by making the necessary corrections herself. Any other person in Charming would have to correct and resubmit their paperwork. Those people weren't as important to her as Jacob Hale.**

**Eriqueka happened to be available to assist Officer Eglee when she walked in to request copies of the Liberty Street property sales. She initially considered ** **requesting a court order for the copies. It would delay delivery long enough for her to warn Jacob's secretary of CPD's interest in the recent purchases. ** **Unfortunately, her supervisor had been in the room and she wasn't about to risk ** **her job by doing so. Eriqueka did tell the officer that the request would take a ** **little time to put together, and offered to have it delivered to CPD later in the day.**

"**That's fine," Eglee replied, not suspecting any delay tactic on the employee's part.** **The supervisor, though intrigued by Eriqueka's procrastination, didn't ** **question her on it. By the time Eglee ** **departed, the supervisor had been called to assist on another problem and Eriqueka's strange behavior was forgotten.**

**Eriqueka didn't dare call Hale's office until she was able to get away from her supervisor by going to the bathroom. She took her cell phone with her and scrolled through her contacts for Hale's office number. **

"**Hale Properties. How may I help you?" inquired his receptionist.**

"**This is Eriqueka at the clerk's office. I have a tip for Jacob."**

"**He's getting ready to leave for the day, let ****me catch him for you."**

"**I don't have time!" Eriqueka replied. "I've got to get back to work. Tell him that CPD requested a copy of all the paperwork we have on the property sales on Liberty Street. I couldn't delay it very long, just a few hours. My boss was watching. I just thought he'd want to know."**

"**I'll get the information to him," the receptionist promised and disconnected ** **the call. Her employer had never spoken to the woman, and she never asked to ** **speak to him. Hale's secretary knew the woman had been a valuable help to her when the paperwork hadn't been just right. She could've lost her job a number of times ** **if Eriqueka hadn't caught the oversights brought on by too many demands and too little time to concentrate. **

**She rushed to catch her boss before he was gone for the day. By the time she got to the back gate, ****she was too late; the Mercedes was already gone.** '**I'll just have to call him,' she sighed wearily, trudging back to her desk. **

**Though Jacob could come and go as he pleased, she was stuck in the office on her own until closing. She knew better than to leave the telephones unmanned for long. Jacob was good about checking up on her that way. If a call rang more than once before going to voice mail, he demanded to know why she hadn't answered.**

'**If I didn't need this job, I'd tell him where to put it!' The receptionist thought, breathing a sigh of relief that the light indicating a waiting message wasn't blinking and the phone was blessedly silent. She sank into her chair and reached for the telephone, pressing the numeral key assigned to Hale's cell phone.**

"**What is it?" He snapped in her ear.**

"**Eriqueka just called. CPD is getting a copy of the sales paperwork for Liberty ** **Street," she replied briskly.**

"**Fine!" Hale snapped, closing the phone without a word of gratitude.**

'**Prick!' The receptionist thought to herself, glaring at the closed door to Hale's inner sanctum.**

**Hale tossed his briefcast to the ground in frustration. **** 'Damn! What would Unser want with the Liberty Street files? What ** **is he up to?'**

**If Unser looked hard enough, he'd find Jacob's involvement in the purchases. The time had come for him to play the panic card. He began scrolling through his contact list of city council members and made his first call to set the wheels rolling to get rid of CPD at last. **

* * *

**Cat limped from the elevator to Lumpy's room. The walk was farther than she'd ** **thought, but she needed to get used to being more active than she had been ****over the last few days. She perched on the same windowsill she'd used earlier that day while debriefing her husband about her talk with Lumpy.**

** 'God, that seems so long ago!' She slipped her iPhone from her pocket and typed a text message.** "_**Hey, love! Bad news. Lumpy's in a coma, it's not good. If you can get away, do so. **__**I'm with him now. See ya when I see ya." **_**She turned off the cell as it would interfere with all of the equipment monitoring Lumpy's vitals, and limped into the room.**

** Ally was sitting at his side, holding a frail looking hand in hers. His eyes were closed, but his breathing still appeared pretty regular.** **Cat was surprised to see how frail the boxer suddenly appeared. 'He certainly ** **didn't look this way earlier!' It was as if every one of his years were catching up with him. **

**She snagged another chair, pushed it to the other side of Lumpy's bed, and settled down in it. She took his hand in both of hers. His skin felt very cool.** **She looked across the bed to Ally, whose expression was like a lost child's. Cat nodded slightly but didn't speak. Both women were content to sit quietly by ** **their friend's side.**

**After a few minutes, Cat stood up and limped to the window, looking out over the parking lot and the street beyond it. She motioned the lawyer over to join her. "Don't want to talk about this near Lumpy, but there's no avoidin' the 800 pound gorilla in the room any longer." **

**"What do you mean?" Ally replied. **

**"Whether we like it or not, you and I both know Lumpy's dying. There's plans to make for later."**

**Ally gazed at Lumpy, then back to Cat. "I'm afraid you're right. You _do_ realize the county coroner will require an autopsy."**

**"Figured as much. Isn't it standard when a person dies as a result of a crime?"**

**Ally nodded and returned to her briefcase ****long enough to retrieve her legal pad. "How much do you know about Judaism?" **

**"Not as much as a life long Jew, but I know some of the traditions. Obviously he won't be able to be buried within 24 hours of his death," Cat replied. "Then there's _Shiva_ to consider."**

**"_Shiva_?"**

**"Sometimes called _'sittin' Shiva'_; it's the Jewish form of a wake. Usually held at the family's home. It often lasts a week, but I can't see that bein' possible," Cat explained. **

**"No, neither can I. Lumpy's only family seemed to be Tig and Kozik, plus yourself," Ally observed. **

**"And his staff at the gym. So I was thinkin' of havin' an unofficial _shiva_ for Lumpy at ****the coffeehouse. I suppose he had some kind of affiliation with a synagogue somewhere near?" Cat knew Charming didn't have a synagogue, but wasn't sure if there was one somewhere in the county.**

**"Lumpy gave me the particulars. I'll get in contact with the Rabbi. They'll need to know if they don't already."**

**"Could y'all put an ad in the paper once we know when Lump's services will be? I'll hold it at the coffeehouse after regular business hours." **

**"Just the one night?"**

**Cat nodded assent. "It's a way to honor Lumpy, to remember him. With him not having blood relatives and the gym in a mess, I can't think of any other way to do it."**

**"I'm sure it'll be OK," Ally assured her. "Don't worry. I'll take care of things****." **

**The doctor attending Lumpy came in to perform another examination. He frowned at the two women standing near the window and pointed at the bright red wristband indicating the patient was not to be resuscitated. "Which one of you is family?" He asked softly, but brusquely.**

"**Neither. But I'm about as close as y'all are gonna get," Cat replied quietly.**

"**I need to discuss his treatment with you. Can we speak outside?" **

"**I think we should. Lump might be able to hear and understand what's goin' on ** **around him," Cat observed dryly, limping out the ** **door ahead of the doctor. "I sure as Hell don't want him gettin' worried!" ** **She signaled with her hand for the lawyer to remain with Lumpy. "I've got this," she mouthed. **

**She limped back to her favorite ** **windowsill in the hall and leaned against it, gazing inquiringly at the doctor.**

"**I'd like your permission to put him on a respirator," the doctor announced.**

"**Does he need it?"**

"**His oxygen saturation is low. A respirator would be a great help to him."**

**Her eyebrows disappeared into her bangs. "I thought it was OK; the monitor showed over 80%. Isn't that good?"**

"**We prefer it to be over 90%," the doctor stonily replied. 'Why do laypeople **_**always**_** have to ask questions? I wouldn't make the recommendation if it wasn't in the patient's best interest!'**

"**A respirator would do the breathin' for him, wouldn't it?"**

"**Well, yes, it would. But he would get more oxygen saturation."**

"**Then I have to say 'no'. Lumpy was very explicit in his wishes, and being on a ** **breathin' machine is somethin' he was against. Not if y'all are talkin' about runnin' a tube down his throat and pumpin' air in and out of his lungs."**

"**That's usually the way it's done," the doctor stated, folding his arms over his ** **chest.**

"**What about one of those CPAP machines, like are used for sleep apnea patients?" ** **Cat inquired. "I used one years ago. It forces air into the nasal airway, but the patient's lungs are left to work on their own."**

"**I'd rather use the respirator."**

"**I hate to quote '**_**The Goodbye Girl**_**', but I happen to have a lawyer acquaintance ** **sittin' next to Lumpy. I'd hate to have to get her involved in this," she growled warningly. "I know y'all are thinkin' of Lumpy's best interests and it's in your nature to fight Death. I think the CPAP machine would be the better option."**

**The doctor glared at Cat, but unlike the first year students he could manage to conquer with just a glare, the woman didn't give in. If anything, she became more unyielding with every passing second. They were locked in the proverbial standoff, neither side willing to give in to the other. The doctor also knew the woman had the law on her side, and she hadn't hesitated to remind him of that fact.**

"**Fine. We do it your way. I just hope you ****can live with this decision. I'm not so sure the patient can."**

"**Maybe he can't, but it's his wish to go out on his terms. I'm gonna do everything in my power to make sure he gets his way." Cat stood up and gazed sympathetically at the doctor, though his comment had deeply hurt her. "Now, if y'all will excuse me, I'd like to go sit with my friend."**

**The doctor watched her limp away in a dignified manner and return to the patient's room. Then he strode down the hall to the nurse's station to issue an order for a bi – pap machine. 'With friends like her, he sure as Hell doesn't need any enemies!'**

* * *

**Hector and Luisa staked out the Mercedes, ****watching across the parking lot until their employer walked outside and across the lot to his car.**

** Hector started the engine to the Camaro and started rolling towards the parking lot exit. He was moving slow enough that the Mercedes was able to pull ahead of him and onto to the street leading towards downtown.** **Hector piloted the Camaro two car lengths behind the Mercedes. He didn't want ** **to get too close and scare the **_**gringo**_** towards the police. Nor did he want to ** **get too far back that he'd lose sight of the luxury vehicle.**

**Luisa's sharp eyes were attached to the rear bumper of the Mercedes, almost as ** **if she'd applied superglue to her eyelids to keep them open. She gave Hector ** **directions to keep the Mercedes in sight, following it to its' ultimate destination, the parking lot for _'Hale Properties'_.**

"**Hmm. This is interesting. One of the more prosperous realtors in the area ** **hired us to scare the old man into selling!" Luisa mused. "He's the type who ** **knows everyone and everything in town!"**

"**But how are we going to get him to tell us what we want, **_**Chula?**_**"**

**Luisa hefted her smart phone. "This thing has all kinds of apps, lover. When we confront him, make sure he mentions hiring you to do the job. He won't think ** **anything about me sitting back here while he talks to you. I'll have this app – " she pointed to the voice memo application, " – recording every word, just like we used it for the first meeting."**

"**What good will _that_ do?"**

"**I can play the part where he confesses to hiring us. Then you threaten to turn the memo over to the police if he doesn't tell us what we want to know!" Luisa grinned.**

"**Woman, I like your style!" Hector grinned admiringly.**

"**I know. Let's just wait here; we can watch the employee entrance from the shade, maybe stay cool," she replied.**

**They watched the employee entrance. The shade helped bring down the car's internal temperature, and a cool breeze made them less surly. A sound of ** **metal on metal alerted them to movement in the parking lot. Hale was walking out the gate to his car, which was parked close to ****the gate.**

"**He doesn't have a lot of trust in his townspeople!" Luisa observed with a grim ** **smile.**

"_**Si,**_**" Hector acknowledged, starting the Camaro and rushing to block the** **Mercedes in its' parking spot.**

**Hale turned when he heard the sound of screeching tires, immediately recognizing ** **the Camaro and its' occupants. He set his briefcase down on the pavement next ** **to his closed car door and walked over to the passenger side of the Camaro.**

**Hector motioned for the businessman to get into the car. Hale complied, but left the door open.**

** Hector smiled knowingly at Hale. He knew the businessman didn't feel ****comfortable being in close confines with his hired thugs where he wasn't able to control the action.** **Hector didn't have to say anything to lead Hale to mention the previous night's job. Hale launched right into a diatribe about the heavy handed method Salazar had employed to complete the assignment.**

**Luisa smiled down at her smart phone. The voice memo was picking up everything, if the bouncing meter was any indication. It was better than a tape recorder!**

**Hector was watching her in the rear view mirror, to make sure the recording was ** **working correctly. She inclined her head slightly, acknowledging that all was good. **

**He shrugged at Hale's tirade, noting that he had made sure the old man would sell.**

"**That's what you think!" Hale snorted. "Word is out that he's filed an insurance claim and plans to reopen as soon as possible!"**

**Salazar shrugged again as if the news came as no surprise to him. " I did what you paid me to do, _esse_. You need to make good on the other half of the payment." Salazar's expression grew meaner as he leaned toward Hale and added, "I also need some intel from you."**

"**What kind?" Hale asked guardedly. He blanched when Salazar told him what he wanted. "You're nuts! There's **_**no**_** way I'm going to tell you that!"**

"**If you don't, I'll send the recording of our first meeting to the police, along with the recording of our little talk today," Hector grinned maliciously.**

**Hale stared at Salazar like he was dirt under his feet. **

**Hector motioned to** **Luisa, who held her smart phone up and played back the recording she'd just made. ** **A delighted smile lighted her face as she watched Hale's stuffed shirt deflate.**

'**If he makes good on that threat, an arrest will kill any chance of me getting into the mayor's office – and kill 'Charming Estates' before it ever gets off the ground!' He knew he had no choice but to give in to the thug's demands.**

* * *

**Unser returned the receiver of his desk phone to the cradle and lay his head in ** **his hands. The Feldstein case was becoming an increasing headache to him. ** **Lumpy's assistant manager had informed him that the gym did have a security system, but it had been de - activated by the vandal. There was no camera surveillance for the back lot and entry, so there was no video record that Hale had made contact with ****Darby or anyone behind the gym. **

'**Shit! I'm right back at square one!' Unser ****sighed. 'It's still the word of three felons versus Hale's. That holds as much water as a leaky sieve! Unless I get lucky and somebody recorded their conversation with Hale, he's getting off scot free on this one, just as he always manages to do!'**

**Hale's last involvement in questionable land dealings had been handled by Oswald ** **and Clay Morrow, with a little unofficial help from David Hale. It was the deputy police chief who had recalled a similar case coming before his father, who'd served as a judge at the time, and had dismissed the case. **

**Jacob had resurrected that same scam to get some of Oswald's land under imminent domain for LOAN's investors. That plan had died a quick and non public death. ** **Unlike this time, no one had been physically harmed.**

** It hurt Unser deeply ****that a good man was fighting for his life because a greedy bastard like Hale was able to skirt the fringes of the law and get away with it. Not that it hadn't happened before. ****First Zobelle - with his ** **masterminding the attack on Gemma and having possession of an illegal narcotic – ** **had gotten off without even a slap on the wrist, now Hale was getting away with ** **masterminding assault and vandalism without punishment. **

**'What has happened to law enforcement?' Unser asked himself. ** **He had the names and addresses of the other property owners on Liberty Street ** **that had agreed to sell to the shell company. He still intended to talk to them ** **about the persuasion tactics that had been used against them.**

** He didn't hold out much hope that he'd unearth anything concrete to tie Hale directly to the strong arm buy out. ** '**I'm getting too old for this shit!' He ****moaned to himself as he left his office. ** **He nodded to the cops that were changing shifts and headed on out the back door ** **to his patrol car. It might be an exercise in futility, but Unser felt he owed it to himself and to Lumpy to talk to the other Liberty Street business owners. **

* * *

**A respiratory therapist brought a Bi - Pap machine to Lumpy's room and set it up on the bedside table. The therapist plugged in the machine, then attached the rubber hose that connected Lumpy to the forced air ****machine. He slipped the straps around Lumpy's head, being careful of the bandages, and settled the mask ** **over the patient's nose and mouth. **

**As soon as the machine was turned on, it ** **sent a continuous blast of forced air into Lumpy's nose. He continued breathing ** **on his own, but the oxygen saturation monitor didn't show much improvement.**

**Cat and Ally Lowen watched in silence as the therapist set up the machine. "There's really little to it, and he can still talk if he wakes up," the therapist explained to them.**

"**Are you usin' the bi – pap because Lump doesn't suffer from sleep apnea?" Cat ** **inquired. **

"**Precisely. This machine, which is known as the Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure ****machine, was developed in the 1990s as a less invasive method for people with a low oxygen saturation level –whether conscious or not – to inhale more air into their lungs. The respirator, which used to be employed when a person became comatose like this, uses a tube to open the airway through the throat, and forced the lungs to expand and contract.' **

**The therapist examined the oxygen saturation level and frowned. "Normally, we see immediate marked improvement with the bi – pap. Mr. Feldstein's _is_ better, but no where close to where we need it to be." **

"**What does that mean?" Ally asked softly. **

"**It means Mr. Feldstein's condition is deteriorating. The swelling around the ** **brain was eased last night, but the injury is serious enough to cause complications. We were hopeful when he regained ****consciousness and was talking to you, Mrs. Trager, that his condition was improving."**

"**So it's mainly a matter of time," Cat observed. **

"**I'm afraid so." The therapist exchanged a sad gaze with the two women before ** **silently departing.**

**They sat in silence for awhile, watching Lumpy's chest rise and fall and listening to the machine push air into his face. Neither wanted to turn on the television, the air machine provided more than enough white noise. **

**Dr. Gallagher entered the room with Cat's discharge papers. "How are you getting home?"**

"**Guess I can call one of my employees," ****Cat shrugged. "There's always a way for ** **me to get around."**

**Gallagher gave her a puzzled look. He wondered to himself why she didn't have ** **her husband pick her up, but didn't voice the question. **

**The conversation reminded Ally that she had other information for Cat. All the ** **uproar about Lumpy had pushed that matter to a far corner of her priority list. ** **She leaned down to her briefcase, opened it, and shuffled through the folders inside until she found the one she wanted and withdrew it. **

**Cat signed the dismissal forms and pocketed the prescriptions written for her to fill. She had everything on her that had been in her room, so she declined having the doctor get an orderly to help her with that. **

**"I'm fine where I am, doc. Don't take ****this the wrong way, but I hope it's gonna be awhile before I see ya again!" **

"**Trust me, Cat, the feeling is mutual!" Gallagher grinned, gathering the folder ** **containing her paperwork in his hand and striding out the door.**

**Ally passed the folder across Lumpy's bed to Cat. "This is research I did about Tig's license. You were right, he didn't have enough points to warrant a suspension."**

**Cat opened the file and scanned the print out. "But it's legal for multiple agencies to ticket for the same violation?"**

"**When there's a high speed chase involved, yes," Ally replied. "I can probably ** **get the reckless endangerment removed, since that highway is hardly used these days. I'm sure the dash cams will show there was little to no oncoming traffic swerving out of the tow truck's way!" **

**Cat studied the print out again. "That's not going to be enough to lift the suspension, though." **

"**No. But if he'll take a few safe driving courses, he can get his license back in a matter of months instead of years," the lawyer explained. "Most of them can be done on line now." **

"**Have you ever seen Tig work with a computer?" Cat grinned. "He's competent with 'em, once he's logged in. It's gettin' into the system that gives him fits!" **

"**Guess that's why Juice is their computer guru," Ally retorted. "I'm sure they won't mind if you help him get into the program, as long as you don't try to take the class for him."**

"**He's a big boy, he can do his own class!" Cat retorted good naturedly.**

"**Is my name bein' taken in vain again?" A familiar voice growled from the open door. **

**Both women looked up to find Tig leaning against the door frame, holding the door ** **open with one foot. He had his arms crossed over his chest and was peering over his sunglasses at them. **

"**Y'all sure did!" Cat grinned. "We were just talkin' about your drivin' privileges and how to get 'em back."**

**Alex detached himself from the doorway and sauntered across the room to sit on ** **the side of his wife's chair. He nodded pleasantly at the lawyer. "Nice of ya to be here, Ally." **

"**Lumpy's my client," she explained softly. "I felt a need to be here for him."**

"**Y'all obviously got my text," Cat remarked. "You missed the fireworks between me and the attendin'." **

**Alex's eyebrows shot up in inquiry as he placed his sunglasses temple into the ** **chest pocket of his cut. **

**"What kinda fireworks, baby?"**

**Cat pointed to the red 'DNR' wristband. "Lump's got a livin' will. He doesn't want any 'heroic' measures. The attendin' wanted to put him on a respirator to force his lungs to work instead of him doin' the breathin' on his own. I wouldn't allow it."**

**Alex's eyebrows furrowed in distaste. "I thought they hafta obey those things!" **

"'**They' do, but some doctors will try to get around it if they can," Ally assured him. "Cat was a real trooper and stood her ground with the attending. That's why Lumpy's on this forced air machine."**

"**Isn't that a 'heroic' measure?" He frowned.**

"**No, love," Cat replied. "It's forcing air, but his lungs aren't being forced to work by the machine. It's supposed to make his oxygen intake a little better, but it's not where it should be," she pointed to the monitor as she spoke. ** "**Kinda like the oxygen tube he had earlier, just a little stronger delivery." **

**Alex gazed proudly at his wife. "Glad ya stood up for Lump, baby." **

"**Always," she replied.**

**Ally watched the couple, wondering if her presence was cramping their style. It ** **was obvious to her that Tig cared for his woman, but he'd not greeted her with a kiss. **

"**I need to stretch my legs a bit and check in with the office," she murmured. "I'll be back."**

"**Not like we're goin' anywhere soon!" Cat assured her merrily. **

**Alex snorted a laugh as the door shut behind her.****"She leavin' on account of somethin' I said?"**

"**No love. I think she wanted to give us a little privacy so we could exchange 'proper' greetings!" **

**Alex waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "We'd have to get outta Lump's hearin' ** **for that!"**

**Cat rolled her eyes before leaning against his chest. Alex's arm gathered her close in ****a one – armed embrace. "Guess this'll have to do for now," he murmured before placing his lips over hers in a more 'proper' greeting. **

"**It's a start!" Cat replied slyly when the kiss ended. She reached her good hand up to take hold of his arm that was resting between her neck and chest. "Busy day, love?" **

"**Yeah. We know who harmed Lumpy, and I'm quite happy you're stuck here where you're safe from the fucktard." **

**Cat shifted uncomfortably in the chair, causing Alex to sigh in exasperation. "Don't tell me, ya got discharged!"**

"**Made sense, love," she replied apologetically. "All the tests were done, and I can rest at home just as easily as here. Why pad charges on the liability coverage for the rental company if I don't ****have to?"**

"**Dammit! Why do ya hafta be so fuckin' honest?" Alex growled. **

**"It's one of the qualities y'all like about me," she quipped.**

**Alex growled deep in his throat while his free hand massaged the bridge of his nose. "Dammit, woman! Salazar hurt Lump. He's a loose cannon and there's no tellin' what he'll do to get back at the club for losin' his patches!"**

"**Then it's good that I'm goin' home instead of stayin' here," she replied quietly. "I seem to recall that his friend didn't exactly fair so well under constant police surveillance while he was a patient!"**

"**Yeowtch!" Alex winced. "That was below ****the belt, woman!" **

"**True, but y'all know I'm right." **

"**And ya know I hate it when you are!" **

**Cat rubbed her cheek against his chest, much like her felines would do to placate her after they'd been naughty. "Salazar won't **_**dare **_**try anything at our house, love. Not with your big, badass self around to protect me!" **

**Though he knew she was teasing him, Alex felt that familiar warmth wash over him. The teasing covered the fact that she had absolute faith in his ability to keep her safe, despite the injuries she'd sustained at Westin's hands. "You got that right, ** **baby!" **

**They fell into a companionable silence, ****watching Lumpy's chest rise and fall. ** "**He looks different, baby," Alex murmured. **

"**I know. He suddenly appears frail to me. Maybe we're just not used to seein' him lyin' down."**

"**Yeah. That's gotta be it." Alex agreed hastily.**

** They didn't acknowledge what they both knew in their hearts. Lumpy was slowly drawing away from them. That ** **devastated Alex, though he didn't allow his feelings to show. **

'**It's gonna tear him up when Lumpy passes,' Cat thought to herself. 'How will he react when the end comes? Will he shut me out, or will he let me share the grief with him?' Though she feared he might take off to grieve alone, she began considering various methods to help her husband deal with his loss. **

**Alex bent his head until his chin rested on top of Cat's head. He was careful not to rest a lot of weight on her head out of consideration for her injuries. He inhaled the faint scent of her shampoo, taking ** **comfort in the natural berry and tea fragrance. ** '**It's gonna hurt like Hell to lose Lumpy. He's been a good friend. Shit!' He shook his head slightly in denial. 'Who the fuck am I kiddin'? He's been more of a dad to me than the sperm donor. He taught me so much, was always there for me. Seems like gettin' rip roarin' drunk ain't the way to go this time and I don't wanna burden Cat like I did with the trippin' 'shrooms. She's not in any condition to haul my ass safely home this time!'**

**No matter how much it would hurt to lose ****Lumpy, Alex decided that he wouldn't ** **take off to a bar or the clubhouse to drown his sorrows in alcohol. 'Not with Salazar on the loose. When he hears that Lump died, he'll be on the prowl for his next victim. Best I stay with Cat and make sure he doesn't try to hurt her next!' **

* * *

**Elliot Oswald glared at his telephone, wondering irritably who would interrupt ****family game night. He was enjoying a quiet evening with his wife and daughter. ** **They'd started having a family game night ever since Tristan had recovered from the sexual assault at Fun Town. Tristan enjoyed the family time as much as Oswald himself. He debated letting the call go to the voice mail and dealing with it later.**

**Tristan looked across the table at him in that strange, grown – up way she had** **fallen into since the attack. "Go ahead and get it, Daddy. It might be important."**

"**There's nothing more important to me than you and your mother!" He protested.**

"**I know," she replied in that same grown up manner. "But it's OK with me for you to answer it, anyway."**

**He stared at his daughter another moment, wishing she hadn't gained such painful** **knowledge of the adult world. Sometimes other things had to come ahead of family. She'd learned that lesson the hard way and had come out of it with Life knowledge far older than her years.** **He glanced at the caller ID before picking ****up the receiver. "Oswald here," he stated guardedly.**

"**Sorry to bother you during your family night, Elliot," the mayor's administrative ** **assistant announced.**

"**That's OK," Oswald assured her. "What's up?"**

"**Hale's called for an emergency meeting tonight of the full council to discuss and vote on turning local law enforcement over to Sanwa Sheriff. I thought you'd want to know about this and get the word to as many of the Charming Business Owners Association members as possible."**

"**Can he **_**do **_**that?" Oswald inquired.**

"**He's skating a very thin legal line, since the meeting is tonight. I didn't get a lot of time to get the notice out, so the media has been playing it up in their newscasts. The notice didn't make the newspaper."**

"**What does the city attorney say?"**

**The mayor's assistant snorted. "Since Hale is his personal client, he's only saying that the notice has met the 'letter of the law'. If there's public there, then no one can complain about notice, or a lack of it."**

**Oswald rolled his eyes. "Why am I not surprised. Does Unser know?"**

"**I've sent an email, and tried to get word to him at CPD and at home. I could only reach voice mail."**

"**Keep trying," Oswald replied. "If he's not ****there to argue for CPD, Hale's sure to get his way."**

"**You don't have to tell me twice!" The assistant grumbled before ending the** **call.**

**Oswald cast an apologetic glance at his daughter and began dialing a number.** **Tristan smiled at his father and slid from her dining room chair to refill the family's sodas and popcorn.**

**"This is Cat Marshall. I'm not able to answer your call right now, please leave ** **a message, I'll call y'all back."**

**Oswald rolled his eyes agin. 'This isn't good! I can't rely on a message to get to her!'**

**He pulled out his smart phone and accessed the internet while settling down at the dining room table again. His wife ****glanced at his troubled expression. **

**"What's wrong, honey?"**

**"I need to get word to some of the business owner's association members about a ** **special city council meeting tonight. Cat Marshall's not available by phone."**

**"You can get word to the other members of the association, can't you?"**

**"Yes, but with her openly running for the city council, it's important she be there," Elliot replied.**

**Tristan returned with a bowl of fresh popcorn. "I heard at _'Charming Pawse' _that ** **she's back at St. Thomas, Daddy."**

**Elliot reached out to his daughter to draw her next to him and kissed her cheek. ** **"Thanks, honey!"**

** He quickly dialed the ****main switchboard to St. Thomas and ** **requested to be connected to Cat Marshall Trager's room.**

"**Hello, may I help you?" An unfamiliar voice asked.**

"**Yes, this is Elliot Oswald, is Cat Marshall there? It's urgent."**

"**I'm sorry, sir. The patient has been discharged. However, she has not yet ** **left the hospital. Let me transfer you back to the switchboard and they'll get you connected to her."**

**Oswald's eyebrows scurried up his brow in surprise. It was unusual for a discharged patient to hang around the hospital. 'Wait a minute! This is _Cat_ I'm thinking of. She never does anything by the book!'**

"**One moment, sir, let me connect you," the switchboard operator intoned before ** **he could say anything.** **He heard the phone ring in his ear, then finally heard the voice he wanted to hear answer the phone. **

**"This is Lumpy's room, Cat Marshall speakin'."**

"**Cat! Elliot Oswald calling. How's he doing?" As much as he wanted to get ** **this important information to her, he felt it would be rude not to inquire about Lumpy.**

"**Not good, Elliot. He's in a coma. I'm sittin' with him so he's not alone."**

"**Jesus Christ! I'm sorry to hear that," Oswald winced. "I'm also sorry to be ** **bothering you right now; there's no help for it."**

"**Hang on a second," he heard her muffled voice speaking to someone else in the ** **room. It wasn't hard for him to discern who she was talking to.** "**Hang on, love. It's Oswald. Y'all know he wouldn't be callin' without damn good reason."**

**Oswald heard a growled, unintelligible reply before he had her full attention.** **He briefed her on the reason for his call, adding, "I just got the news from the ** **mayor's assistant."**

"**Damn that Hale anyway! He _had_ to have planned this deliberately!" Cat snarled.**

"**Wouldn't surprise me at all," Elliot replied, though he had a feeling that there was more to Cat's reaction than the timing of the meeting. "I need you to be present, along with as many other members of the ****CBA as possible."**

"**Christ on a crutch, Elliot! Lumpy's on his death bed! I can't leave him!"**

**Oswald winced again. He could hear the pain in her voice and hated adding to ** **it. "I wouldn't ask if it weren't important, Cat. You _must_ be able to realize why it's necessary for you, of all people, to be there."**

**She sighed tiredly. "I_ do_, Elliot. It just gets on my tits that it has to be at this time!"**

**He smothered a laugh at the unusual phrase. "Is there ever a good time for ** **something like this?" He inquired grimly.**

"**Not really. Hang on another minute, will y'all? Tig's chompin' at the bit to get my attention."**

**He waited while he heard a faint conversation in the background. He thought that 'conversation' was a polite way to describe what he heard over the phone. It sounded more like a war of words was going on in that room. **

"**Love, be reasonable! I **_**can't**_** leave y'all right now!" Cat protested.**

"**You can and you will!" Alex retorted gruffly. "Don't ya see ya got no choice? ** **We _need_ CPD, baby! If Sanwa takes over law enforcement, things will go to Hell ** **in a hurry – and not just for the club!"**

"**But **_**you**_** need me here!"**

"**Shit, baby! How many times have _you_ needed me and I've not been there?" Alex ** **countered. "'Bout time I hold up my end of the bargain for once."**

**Elliot heard a long pause on the other end, then overheard Tig Trager's additional comment.** "**Look, you're goin', and that's all there is to it. I'm goin' with ya. All I gotta do is call Kozik, have him sit with Lump while we're at the meeting. No biggie."** **He heard another silence, then Cat returned to the line.**

** "Sorry to keep y'all ** **waitin' like that, Elliot."**

"**No problem, Cat. I heard. Tell Tig I appreciate it."**

"**Can't. He's outside callin' Kozik. He's also a friend of Lumpy's. We don't want him left alone in case –" Her voice cracked with emotion, rendering her unable to continue.**

"**You weren't kidding about him being on his death bed!" Elliot exclaimed.**

"**His oxygen saturation keeps goin' down, though they have a bi-pap machine on him. He's got a livin' will, so all we're doin' is keepin' him comfortable." She explained brokenly.**

"**Damn! Cat, I'm sorry! If there was any way –"**

"**Well, there isn't. Do y'all need me to call the rest of the CBOA?"**

"**No. I'll handle it," Elliot assured her. "Thanks."**

"**All set, baby. Kozik and his girl will be here in a bit," he heard Tig announce.**

"**Guess y'all heard that. Will you be there?"**

"**I wouldn't miss it," Oswald assured her.**

**Cat didn't reply or even give a proper end to the call. The line went dead in his ear.** **Oswald sighed in relief, then turned his attention to his family. "I'm sorry. You know that I'd stay if I could."**

"**You do what you need to do, Daddy," Tristan assured him. "This sounds ** **important to everybody. We can always play games later."**

**His wife nodded agreement with their daughter's assessment. He gave them both a loving, relieved smile, and began calling the members of the business owner's association.**

* * *

**Cat put the phone back on the cradle and sighed wearily. "Dammit, dammit, and double dammit!"**

**Alex walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her quivering body, ** **drawing h****er against him. For once, her proximity didn't effect him physically. ** **He sensed she wasn't in a playful mood.** "**I meant what I said, baby," he murmured in her ear.**

"**But y'all **_**shouldn't**_** have to leave your friend!" She protested bitterly.**

"**I don't **_**have**_** to," he turned her in his arms to face him. "I **_**want**_** to. Besides, Koz is as close to Lump as I am. It's only fair for him to be present too."**

**Cat's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Sounds to me y'all are gettin' a little soft spot for ****Herman!"**

"**He has his moments," Alex shrugged. "I called the clubhouse. Phil's bringin' the van to pick us up."**

"**Can he take us to the house?"**

"**I 'spose so, why?" Alex inquired.** "**We can pick up the PT and not have to make him wait around for us," she ** **explained. "I'm OK to drive, so we might as well use the car and break it in."**

"**Absolutely," he replied. He was relieved that she hadn't mentioned taking her ** **bike. He knew she missed riding, but didn't relish the idea of bitch riding ** **behind his own wife. 'Kozik would have a field day with that!' ****The fact that she was keeping his welfare in mind under the circumstances warmed him all over.**

**Cat settled into the chair she'd vacated when the phone rang, staring at Lumpy's ** **pale form. She shook her head and laid her chin on her palm. "Y'all should ** **know that Hale's usin' the attack on Lump as an excuse for this."**

"**He's as opportunistic as they come," Alex replied, his eyes glinted as cold as steel. "What do ya plan to say?"**

"**That's a good question, love. I can't say right out that Hale's the one behind Lumpy's injury."**

"**Why the Hell not?" Alex exploded angrily.** **She made a gesture for him to keep his voice down, glancing at the still ** **unconscious patient lying in front of her.** "**Everything we have is hearsay. Hale will just laugh me outta the council chamber ****for bringin' it up."**

"**What if we could provide Darby?"**

**She shook her head. "Same problem. Nothin' but his word over Hale's. Who do ** **you think the council will believe?"**

"**Shit!" He paced along the confines of the room for a few minutes before stopping in front of his wife. "Since I'm goin' with ya, guess I might as well tell the council that there **_**is**_** no war between us and the Mayans."**

**Cat's heart leapt with hope. "Are ya sure ya wanna do that, love?"**

"**It's not a club secret. We verified with Alvarez that our deal was still good. ** **Dunno if I can get him over here to talk to the council. That's callin' in a big favor."**

"**That's a little different from accusin' a ****member of the council of a crime, love," she assured him. "You word ought to be enough."**

"**Hope you're right, baby."**

"**So do I, love."**

* * *

**Jacob Hale was feeling quite pleased with himself. He'd first alerted his cronies on the council to his decision for an emergency meeting that night about ** **shutting down CPD. Once his cronies were behind him, he called the mayor and ** **proclaimed the need to hold the emergency meeting that very night.**

"**Jacob, you know as well as I do that there are 'sunshine' laws that have to be ** **recognized. There's no way we can get notice out in time!" The mayor protested. ****"We can hold it in two day's time, that allows us to meet the notice requirement."**

**Hale had anticipated the mayor would hide behind the 'open door' laws, and had a ** **response prepared. "Not according to the city attorney. The law doesn't require a two day notice, just that notice be given. We're within our rights, given the potential war brewing between SAMCRO and the Mayans, to hold an emergency meeting of this nature. The electronic media can get the word out, as can the auto dialer. If _one_ member of the public shows up, no one can say we didn't give ample notice!"**

**'It figures Hale would check with his friend, the city attorney. Why didn't I hire a ****replacement once I found out Hale was one of his clients?' The mayor felt bile rise in his throat. It wasn't a surprise that Hale would've covered all his bets. "And I'm sure you have the necessary backing to force the meeting to be held tonight," the mayor replied dryly.**

"**Fortunately for the town, I do," Hale assured the mayor.**

"**You seem very sure of yourself," the mayor observed.**

"**I wish I weren't, Mayor," Hale's voice held just the right amount of dismay.**

"**Fine. You leave me no choice. Just remember, this office isn't yours – yet."** **The mayor slammed the receiver onto the cradle, then picked up the receiver again to contact the administrative assistant.**

'**It's only a matter of time,' Hale smiled as ****he replaced the receiver on his own ** **phone. "This vote tonight, along with that timely confrontation with Oswald at ** '_**Hannah's Place**_**' will insure that I get that office!"**

**With Unser chasing leads into the assault and vandalism at Lumpy's gym, there ** **was little chance that he'd get news of the meeting in time to attend. 'That will help sway the full council to my side. If the Police Chief can't be bothered to defend his department, it's time for it to go!'**

**There was no guarantee that someone might not tell Unser about the meeting. ** **That was the worst case scenario. The good thing about giving the mayor such ** **late notice of the need for a meeting that very night was that most of the townspeople, including the business owners, were too busy with late afternoon and early evening ****concerns to make time for an emergency council meeting, provided they took time to listen to the message.**

**He idly wondered if he should make an anonymous report to CPD about Salazar's ** **interest in finding Dr. Knowles. It might be enough to keep CPD from learning of the meeting and alerting Unser. 'Only problem with that is if Salazar or his woman get it into their heads that I dropped the dime on them, they'll turn over that recording and my political career dies out of the starting gate!'**

**No, he decided. The ****best thing to do was to do nothing. The fate of Dr. Knowles was tantamount to collateral damage in this respect. 'Better her than me!' He raised his glass in a mock salute before downing the portion of whiskey in a single gulp.**

* * *

**After leaving '_Hale Properties'_, Hector drove directly to St. Thomas' parking lot, cruising until he found the black vintage Oldsmobile. He stayed in the parking lot to watch over the car while Luisa went on a food run. He figured if the blond VP's old lady tried to leave while Luisa was gone, he'd disable the car** **through brute force if he had to.**

**Fortunately, it didn't take long for Luisa to obtain some food for them and return. The Olds never budged from its' parking spot. Hector and Luisa settled down in the Camaro, watching and waiting.**

**As the afternoon gave way to dusk, their vigil was rewarded when Luisa** **spotted the dark haired doctor walking to her car. "Look! Hector! There she is!" ** **She hissed, pointing beyond the Olds.**

"**She's not alone, **_**Chula**_**," Hector remarked.**

**A red haired, professionally dressed woman was walking beside the doctor. They paused at the back of Tara's car to chat.**

"**Shit! Figures those bitches would hold a gossip session right now!" Luisa muttered darkly.**

"**Relax, **_**Chula**_**," Hector grinned, running his hand along her arm. "I wasn't plannin' to take her in the parking lot. Let 'em have their bitch session."**

**They waited for what seemed an interminable amount of time before the red** **head walked away from the Olds. They ****watched the doctor climb into the black sedan and** **start backing from the space. **

**Hector kept his hand poised over the ignition key, ready to start the engine the minute the Olds had rolled past them.** **The Camaro responded with a roar of defiance when Hector keyed the ignition. He threw the transmission into reverse, backing smoothly and quickly from the spot. **

**He kept several car lengths between the black Olds and himself, relying on Luisa to keep the sedan in sight while he contended with traffic.** **They didn't notice that another vehicle had followed them out of the hospital parking lot. Neither of them realized the same vehicle was following them until they saw it turn onto the same street the Olds had led them to. **

"**We've got company!" Luisa hissed angrily, glancing over her shoulder at the** **station wagon behind them.**

"**Shit!" Hector cursed, allowing the Camaro to continue past the driveway the** **Olds had stopped in. It would have been the perfect time to apprehend the SAMCRO VP's old lady, just before she entered her own house.**

"**At least we know where she's staying, baby," Luisa offered.**

"**Not good enough. I want that bitch tonight!" Hector growled. **

**The Camaro** **continued rolling slowly down the street from the house where the black Olds was** **parked. He watched in the rear view mirror as the doctor walked to the end of the driveway instead of to the house.**

"**What the fuck is she doing?" Hector muttered.**

**Luisa swung around in the seat to get a better look at what was taking place** **behind them. She watched as the beige station wagon pulled to a stop beside the** **doctor, who walked around the front of the vehicle and climbed into the passenger's seat.**

**Hector negotiated a right turn at the corner and stopped at the curb. He turned off the ignition and slid down in the seat, signaling for Luisa to do the same. He could watch the street from all the mirrors.**

"**What if they don't come out the same way we did?" Luisa inquired.**

"**Good thinking, **_**Chula**_**," Hector replied appreciatively. "She might've been given** **my description. You go walk back down the street, keep an eye on where they go.** **If the station wagon makes a turn, run back here. If not, wait until it turns and run back ****here."**

**Luisa immediately climbed out of the car and quickly making her way back to the** **doctor's street. She pretended to be taking a casual walk as the station wagon** **passed her, heading towards the intersection where Hector had made his turn. **

**She crossed the street so she could see which way the station wagon turned.** **As soon as it completed the turn, she hustled back to the Camaro, which had** **already made a U turn to follow the other car.**

**The minute Luisa climbed into the passenger seat, Hector took off after the** **station wagon. It had gotten a pretty good lead on them, but Luisa was able to** **keep it in sight.**

"**Is this going to be a problem, Hector?" Luisa asked worriedly. They hadn't ** **intended to deal with anyone but the ****doctor.**

"**No!" Hector replied coldly. "We still take the doctor. The other bitch we can either take along with us or kill her. If she's too much trouble, we leave her by the side of the road with a bullet between the eyes."**

**Luisa didn't reply to that statement. She knew Hector was right. If the other woman with the doctor had to be killed, so be it. She shouldn't have been in the way in the first place. To Luisa, the station wagon driver was a small obstacle to overcome as quickly as possible.**

* * *

**Kozik and Ima stepped quietly into Lumpy's room where Tig and Cat waited for them. Kozik hadn't even had to ask Ima if she wanted to come with him. She'd heard ** **enough from Kozik's side of the conversation to know Lumpy was in trouble. She was ready to leave with him as soon as he ended the call.**

**Kozik was surprised and sad to see the change in his old friend just from that ** **morning. The boxer appeared frail, and the breathing machine worried him until Cat explained the reason for its' presence.** "**He's got a living will on file now," she added, pointing to the red wristband. ** "**I took a look at it when Ally Lowen brought it over. Kozik, you're named as ** **one of those capable of makin' decisions for him."**

"**What's a living will?" Kozik inquired.**

**Tig snorted with exasperation. 'We really don't have time for this shit!'**

**Cat glanced out the side of her eye at him. "It's OK, love. This won't take long. Why don't y'all go find an orderly so I can get outta here?"**

**Alex's hand reached up to rub the bridge of his nose. He knew Cat was giving him ** '**busy work' to keep him from losing his temper. 'She's right, damn her!' He squeezed her shoulder in silent gratitude ** **and departed on his quest.**

"**What's with him?" Ima asked from the corner she'd retreated to.**

"**He's upset about Lumpy," Cat explained.**

**Ima nodded and moved to stand beside Kozik. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and nodded at Cat. "I guess we all are."**

"**True dat. Gettin' back to your question, Koz, the living will means that Lumpy ** **doesn't want any heroic measures taken to prolong his life. If his heart stops, he's not to be given CPR."**

"**What about this thing?" He pointed to the mask over Lumpy's nose and mouth.**

"**It's a bi – pap machine. It's _not_ a heroic measure. That's the respirator that forces the lungs to inhale and exhale for the patient. This machine forces additional air to Lumpy's lungs in hopes of increasin' his oxygen saturation. It's low, and just keeps inchin' lower."**

"**So if they wanna put him on any other breathin' machine, I can say 'no'?"**

"**Exactly. Don't let 'em bully y'all," Cat replied, explaining how the attending ** **physician had tried to browbeat her into ****allowing the respirator. "Basically, ** **Lumpy wants to be kept comfortable. If they wanna do somethin' that will keep ** **him comfortable, that's fine."**

"**OK, I got it," Kozik replied. "Can he hear us?"**

"**I think so," Cat assured him. "At least he likely knows we're here for him, and that he's not alone. Talk to him, touch him. He's gonna need that. Especially when –"Her voice cracked, rendering her unable to continue the thought.**

**Kozik placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it an understanding squeeze. "I've ** **got this, Cat. Don't worry. We won't leave him alone."**

**She nodded and moved away to stand closer to Lumpy's side. She caressed his ** **arm, then leaned down to place a kiss on his cheek. "Tig and I have to leave for a bit, ****Lumpy. Kozik and his girlfriend, Ima, are here. So y'all aren't alone. Behave yourself, now."**

**Alex returned to the room, orderly and wheelchair following in his wake. He gestured for the orderly to wait in the hall and stepped beside his wife. He placed his hand on Lumpy's arm, giving it a squeeze. "Hey, Lump. Kozik's here. He'll watch out for ya. I'll see ya when I see ya."** **He placed his hand under Cat's elbow and led her from the room to the waiting ** **wheelchair.**

** Cat sank into it, holding her head in her hand.**

"**You a'right, baby?"**

"**Yeah. Let's get the Hell outta here."**

**Alex nudged the orderly out of the way and took control of the wheelchair, piloting it down the hall to the elevators. He ****understood how his wife felt; he felt just as devastated by the idea that Lumpy was dying. 'Maybe this fuckin' meeting is a good thing, gets us away from the gloom for awhile.'**

**Phil was waiting for them at the main entrance with the van. Alex helped his ** **wife from the wheelchair to the front seat. As he did so, he growled an order for the prospect to vacate the driver's seat.**

**Phil scrambled to obey. The seats had been removed from the van, so he settled ** **on the floor, sitting cross legged behind the front seats.**

**Alex slid behind the wheel of the van and pulled away from the hospital entrance. His mouth was set in a grim, forbidding line.**

** Phil wasn't willing to say anything to set the SAA off.**

"**Man, I'm glad to see that place in the rear ****view!" Cat sighed.**

**Behind them, Phil took a deep breath and held it, waiting for the SAA to explode. To his relief Tig didn't get angry.**

"**I'm not!" Alex muttered darkly, keeping his gaze on the road ahead.**

**Phil quietly breathed a sigh of relief.**

**Cat placed a hand on Alex's arm. "I know, love. But y'all were free to come and go. I was cooped up in there!"**

"**True dat," he replied softly.**

**They remained silent until the van reached the Trager's home. Cat opened the door and slid from the van before Alex could get out of the driver's seat. "Thanks for the ride, Phil," she called out as she limped to the back gate.**

"**You're welcome, ma'am!" He called after her. He waited expectantly by the driver's side of the van for any instructions from the SAA.**

"**We'll be at the city council this evenin'," Tig explained. "Some kinda emergency meetin' about CPD. Kozik's with Lump at the hospital. You need anything, call Piney first, then text me and Koz. Don't expect a quick response from Kozik or me, we won't be able to have our phones turned on."**

"**Yes, sir." Phil replied, sliding into the driver's side of the van.**

**Tig barked a small laugh, remembering how his drill sergeant would yell whenever his grunts called him 'sir'. He thumped the door and walked off after his wife.** **He knew exactly where to find her and strolled to the bedroom. **

**Sure enough, there was a line of light showing under the bathroom door. He grinned slyly at the s****ound of water running in the shower and glanced at the clock. 'Not surprisin' she'd wanna clean up before the meetin'!' He mused. 'Plenty of time for a little fun.'**

** He stripped out of his clothes, leaving them in a pile next to the bathroom and slipped inside. ** **Cat was visible through the glass door, standing with her back to it, rinsing shampoo from her hair. Water and soap ran down her skin to the drain. **

**The sight made Alex fully erect and his grin grew wider as he opened the shower door and stepped inside, bumping her butt with his cock. **

**"Alex! What on earth do y'all think you're doin'?" She shrieked. **

**"Baby, if ya gotta ask!" He grinned in delight. His hands closed around her breasts, rubbing the nipples into taunt ****peaks. **

**"B - but -"**

**"Quit imitatin' an outboard motor, baby! I'd rather hear ya purr instead!" His mouth closed over hers to drown out any further protest. **

**"Do we have time for this, love?" She inquired into his mouth, drawing her arms around his waist. **

**"We do, baby," he growled triumphantly, shuddering slightly at the feel of the wet plastic wrap covering her new cast against his back. It only bothered him for a moment, and did nothing to diminish his need for her. "It's been way too long, and I intend to enjoy every minute of it!"**

* * *

**Tara relaxed in the passenger seat of Margaret's station wagon, content to allow ** **the other woman to worry about traffic. She was still amused by Margaret's surprise earlier when she'd found the doctor tidying up in the scrub room.**

**Tara reminded her supervisor that she'd said the procedure Margaret had arranged for 'Sarah Palin' had been for a friend, and was performed the night before. "I decided to get one tonight and plan to take myself there."**

**Margaret immediately vetoed that idea. The center wasn't that far from her home and she didn't mind taking Tara to her ****appointment and then taking her home ** **after. "You know you really shouldn't drive after something like that."**

**So now they were en route to the next county so Tara could end her pregnancy. Medically, she knew it was safe and she wouldn't feel any pain. 'It's not like I haven't taken this route before!' she reminded herself. S****he tried not to think about the process; she'd already given it a lot of thought over the last couple of days. She was tired of thinking about it and just wanted to put it behind her.**

**Margaret brought the station wagon to a stop at a 'T' intersection. She had the stop sign while cross traffic had the right of way. She was signaling her intention to turn left and waited for oncoming traffic from both sides to clear to allow her to make the left turn. **

**Neither woman noticed a car pull up behind the station wagon until it tapped the station wagon's rear bumper. The Camaro backed up a bit from the back of Margaret's car as she and Tara got out to inspect to check for any damage to either vehicle.**

**A slim Hispanic woman wearing a hoodie and Capri pants got out of the driver's ** **side of the Camaro. She apologized profusely for hitting Margaret's car.**

**Margaret examined her rear bumper. The light in the area was poor, so ** **she ran her hand along the bumper. She didn't feel any signs of damage. She ** **assured the Hispanic woman the car seemed fine, then turned to retrieve her ** **purse, intending to exchange insurance information with the woman.**

**The Camaro's driver didn't appear to be paying attention to Margaret. She acted as if she recognized Tara and asked her about ****being Jax Teller's old lady. ** **Tara didn't seem to know how to answer and that made Margaret nervous. **

**The passenger door of the Camaro swung open and a man rushed towards Tara, pointing a gun at her. The Camaro's driver whipped out her own hidden pistol and aimed it at Margaret. who reacted with an inward trickle of fear prickle her spine.** '**It must be a car jacking!' She thought, keeping her hands raised above her head. **

**She marveled at Tara's cool demeanor in dealing with the two assailants. She explained that Margaret was a supervisor and had nothing to do with the club.**

**At Hector's order, Luisa pulled Margaret's sleeves up, checking for ink. She forced Margaret to face the trunk of her car and pulled her suit jacket and blouse up, revealing a large tattoo.**

**Tara stared at the tattoo in surprise. It wasn't a motorcycle club tattoo. It looked more like a rock n' roll tattoo. 'Was Margaret once a groupie?' She couldn't help wondering to herself. 'She's always seemed so prim and proper, especially when she was displeased with the club!'**

**Hector made a quick decision to take both women into custody. He and Luisa herded the women into the back of the station wagon. He climbed into the driver's seat of Margaret's car and pointed the gun at them. ** **"Either of you bitches tries anything, the other gets a bullet in the head!" He snarled. "**_**Comprende**_**?"**

**Tara stared defiantly at him. Margaret had tears running down her face and nodded her assent.**

**"I asked a question, bitch!" Hector yelled at Tara, brandishing the gun in front of her ****face. "Answer me!" **

**"I understand!" She hissed. Tara was mentally weighing the possibility of escape. Though they were equal in number, their assailants had guns. Tara had no doubt that the woman, who was now in the driver's seat of the Camaro, would shoot at them if she tried to overtake the man.****Margaret could get hurt or killed if she tried to get away. **

**'Much as I want to get away from these two, now is not the time. I'm not going to let myself be frightened into doing nothing! A chance to escape **_**will**_** present itself, and I'm going to take it!' **

* * *

**Kozik sat in a chair next to Lumpy's bed, recalling some old stories to the elderly boxer. The sun had set long ago, and the only other sound in the room were of the bi - pap machine. **

**Ima had left Kozik alone with Lumpy in order to give her man some time alone with his friend. She found her way to the cafeteria after finding that the coffee kiosk had closed at 5pm. **

**'That's inconvenient! Doesn't the owner realize people might need something from a place like this after regular business hours?' She frowned at the deserted kiosk, wishing she could get to '**_**Charming Pawse'.**_

** Though they'd ridden in her car, she didn't want to leave the hospital and give Kozik the wrong impression. 'Guess we'll just have to settle for whatever the cafeteria has to offer!'**

**The cafeteria was cleaning up from the ****evening meal rush. She selected large Styrofoam cups, pouring the freshest coffee she could find in one and hot water in the other. She selected a tea bag from the scant selection of teas and covered both cups with lids. **

**She had a feeling Kozik might be hungry. She noticed that the grill had already closed, as were the other hot food prep areas. 'Jesus Christ! What's with these people? A 24 hour cafeteria needs to cater to people 24 hours a day, not selectively!' ** **She fumed for a few moments, then selected a wrapped salad for herself and a couple of sandwiches for Kozik.**

** She took her selections to the cashier and paid for them without commenting about the lack of service. She remained courteous to the cashier and wished her a nice evening. ** **"Thank you, ma'am," the cashier replied, handing Ima her change.**

**Ima found a drink carrier and bag beyond the cashier. She bagged the salad and sandwiches, adding a handful of napkins and a plastic fork to the bag. She carried her items back to the elevator bank, noticing how busy the lobby was with people and hospital employees scurrying around. **

**She stood at the back of the elevator car, waiting for it to arrive at Lumpy's floor. The only other passengers were a distraught looking couple that got off on the children's floor. 'I hope their little one improves!' She thought, lifting her eyes to the row of numbers above the doors. ****Ima stepped off the elevator when it opened onto Lumpy's floor and quickly made her way back to the room. **

**Kozik waited until the door closed behind his girl to take Lumpy's frail hand in his. It ****was cool to the touch. Kozik covered the boxer's gnarled hand with his other hand. ** **"I'm here, old man. Tig had to leave. Hang in there, Lumpy. Ya haven't lost a fight yet, and you're not gonna lose this one!" **

**The cool hand in his didn't move. The eyes that once danced with laughter remained closed. Kozik dropped his head onto the hand enclosed in both of his, allowing silent, angry tears to fall. ** **He didn't realize that Ima had returned until he felt her hand squeeze his shoulder.**

** "It's OK to let him know your feelings, lover," she assured him softly. She had set the food and drinks on a nearby table before sitting next to him to comfort him. "There's food and coffee for you when you want it."**

**He nodded without raising his head. Ima kept her hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner, sharing her lover's ****pain and sorrow. Though she didn't know Lumpy personally, she knew he meant a great deal to Kozik, and she felt his pain as if it were his own. **

* * *

**After drying her thoroughly loved body and wet hair, Cat left Alex to shower alone so she could get dressed. Once she'd donned the all black outfit she'd worn for her first city council meeting, she sat on the side of the bed with her iPhone to make a couple of calls. **

**Alex, dry and butt naked, strode proudly ****out of the bathroom as she shoved the phone in her pocket and moved to sit at the foot of the bed. The encounter in the shower had taken a lot of energy out of her and she felt a little light headed.**

**Alex gazed appreciatively at her across the room. He slid into the same clothes he'd worn home from the hospital, making Cat wrinkle her nose at him. **

**"What?" He asked innocently. **

**"Seems a waste of time to shower and put on dirty clothes," she observed. **

"**Too bad we don't have time for an encore, baby!" He leered.**

"**Criminy! Y'all have a one track mind!" She griped good naturedly, leaning down to pick up one of her suede boots. She was overcome by a momentary weakness and would've fallen onto the floor had Alex not been there to prevent it.**

"**Whoa, baby! You a'right?" He guided her back onto the bed until she was lying flat on the mattress. "I dunno if goin' to this meetin' is such a good idea," he added worriedly.**

"**If y'all mean me lying on the bed while you're half dressed, you're right," she replied teasingly.** "

**You **_**know**_** what I mean!"**

"**Yes, I do. But it's gotta be done, love," she replied tiredly.**

"**Doesn't mean I hafta like it!"**

"**Hmm. I wouldn't have noticed if y'all hadn't said somethin'!" She sat up and ** **slid back down to the foot of the bed. This time, she was able to slip her feet into her boots and zip them up without incident. "Get your shirt on, love. We've gotta get ****goin'."**

**Alex gazed worriedly at her. "Are you gonna be a'right to drive?"**

"**Sure, I can do **_**anything**_** as long as you're with me," she assured him, appealing to his masculine ego.**

** Her words made him puff out his chest with pride as he finished dressing and followed her to the car.**

**The coffeehouse was still open, so the cats weren't around to get underfoot - or in Ebony's case - attempt to escape. Cat slipped behind the steering wheel of her new car for the first time since she'd taken it for a test drive. The car still had the 'new car' smell. **

**Alex climbed into the passenger side and watched as she adjusted the hated seat belt.**

"**Now I **_**know**_** you're not feelin' a'right!" He protested, pointing to the shoulder harness. **

**"I usually have to do that for ya!"**

"**I decided to be nice; consider it my good deed for the year," she remarked. T**

**he car started on the first try and she backed the PT from the driveway.** **Alex waited until they were well on the way and he was satisfied she could handle the car in her condition to talk. "Who were ya callin' when I got outta the shower, baby?"**

"**The coffeehouse. Just checkin' in with 'em, makin' sure the furbabies get fed ** **tonight," she replied.**

"**Like ya **_**really**_** had to worry?"**

"**I never assume, love," she shrugged. She **_**had**_** checked in briefly with her employees, then called a hotel in Stockton that boasted jacuzzis in each room. It was a very exclusive hotel, which didn't bother her. She knew the budget would allow for it. **

** She had a feeling that Alex would require a diversion if Lumpy died while they were at the meeting. ** **She set up a pre - paid reservation and requested that the room have flame less candles set out in pine and ocean or rainfall scents. She felt natural, outdoors aromas would be most beneficial to Alex. ****She had also requested a bucket of ice cold beers be placed next to the Jacuzzi. **

**She hoped her feeling about Lumpy was wrong, but she wanted to be prepared – just in case. 'We can still make use of the room tonight If he hangs on. Alex will figure out a way to make the most benefit of it!' she smiled inwardly.**

* * *

**Tara sat stonily beside Margaret in the back seat of the station wagon. Margaret had managed to stop crying, which helped. **

**The male driving Margaret's ****car seemed to have a hair trigger temper. He'd yelled at the administrator several times to shut up. **

**Tara slowly and quietly placed a hand over Margaret's and squeezed reassuringly, though she didn't dare say a word to the other woman. She also tried to identify their route, watching for street signs or anything else that might help her later describe where they were being taken. ** **The dark streets made Tara's endeavor nearly impossible. The male driver maintained the posted speed limit so that Tara couldn't make out the street names in the short time the signs were visible to her. **

**The Camaro was directly behind the station wagon. The woman driver maintained just enough distance from the lead car that it didn't attract attention from passing Sanwa sheriff patrol cars. **

**The fact that the woman had asked Tara if she were Jax Teller's old lady told her this had something to do with the club. The man's facial injuries were further evidence that this was not a random encounter but retribution.**

**'What's ironic about this is Jax is overseas and we're no longer together. It won't be good for us when they learn this. I'll have to come up with something before they find out!' Tara kept telling herself. **

**The station wagon turned onto a quiet residential street, coming to a stop in a garage of a two story home. There was a Harley with ape hangers parked against the front wall of the garage. The station wagon pulled as close to the Harley as the driver could get it. The Camaro pulled in alongside the station wagon. **

**The male got out of the driver's side of the station wagon with his gun trained on Tara ****and Margaret. The woman climbed out of the passenger side of the Camaro, because the front door was too close to the station wagon. She ran around the back of the cars to join her boyfriend. **

**"Get out!" The male snarled, brandishing his gun at the two women. **

**Tara slid from the back seat of the station wagon and held her hand out to Margaret. The shaken administrator clung to Tara. ** **"Just do what they say, Margaret," Tara whispered encouragingly. "It'll be OK."**

**"Move! Inside!" The male spat, pointing the gun at their heads.**

**Tara threw a venomous look at him. "You have us where you want us, so how about going easy on the machismo?"**

**The woman shoved Tara around to face her, and slapped her viciously across the ****face. "Shut up, bitch! **_**We**_** give the orders here!"**

**Margaret shrieked in sympathy for Tara, then shrieked in fear when the male grasped her arm in a cruelly tight hold. "Shut up! Get inside!" He pushed Margaret through the door into the abandoned house.**

** Margaret stumbled and fell onto her knees, gasping with pain. The male pulled her to her feet, yanking her by the arm.**

**The woman brandished her gun at Tara. "Get inside, bitch!"**

**Tara glared at the woman and turned away to walk inside. She held her head high as she stepped through the garage door. Her anger grew as she saw the fear and terror on Margaret's face, and the hard expression on the man's. **

**"Are you all right, Margaret?" **

**The administrator nodded, then flinched when the woman slapped Tara again. **

**"I said to be quiet, bitch!" ** **The Hispanic pair pushed the women up the stairs to the attic. While the woman held her gun on them, the male made them sit on the dusty floor of the attic with their backs to a pole. He tied their hands behind them, using the same rope to tie them together.**

**'That will make it more difficult for them to escape, providing either is able to get out of the rope!' Hector thought grimly. **

**He had Luisa check them for any kinds of weapons - nail files, knives or anything else that might be used to saw through the fibers. ** **Luisa gleefully applied lengths of duct tape to the captives' mouths. "That'll keep you bitches quiet!" She mocked, surveying her handiwork. **

**"Have a good night, ladies!" Hector laughed, shutting off the overhead light and shutting the door after him, leaving the women in complete darkness. **

* * *

**Lumpy could feel the weight of the plastic mask on his face, and the cool air rushing into his nostrils. He was able to breathe on his own, but his breathing remained shallow, just enough to keep him going for awhile, but not enough to get his oxygen saturation level to the level it needed to be to maintain his life.**

**He'd been in a light doze when Cat and Ally ****Lowen had discussed his final wishes. Once he knew that Ally had turned in a copy of his living will to the nurses, Lumpy allowed his awareness of his pain and injuries to fade away. ** **He was still conscious of his surroundings; he knew when another band was placed around his wrist. He heard the attending physician ask to speak to Cat out in the hall. He couldn't hear the conversation, but he guessed the physician wanted Cat to override the living will. He momentarily worried that she might give in, but was relieved and proud when she returned to report that she'd not wavered one inch from Lumpy's wishes.**

** He knew then that she, along with Tig and Kozik, would make sure his wishes were carried out to the letter and he let go of his worry about fighting against 'heroic measures'.**

**'Dat girl is a real vinner, and Teeg couldn't hev done any better! Take care of my boy, ****honey. He vill need you in the days and veeks to come.'**

**He knew when Tig returned to sit with him and Cat and when Ally had left the room for awhile. He heard Cat's phone conversation and knew that she and Tig would have to leave his bedside before long. He felt no fear over that idea, even before he heard Tig call Kozik to come stay with him. **

**'Dat's my boy! You both need to settle your problems und be the friens you vere meant to be! Dis is de start I prayed for!' **

**Lumpy knew when Cat and Tig said their goodbyes to him. He knew they planned to return to the hospital later, but he wasn't going to wait for them. He sensed Kozik's distress over his frail appearance but could do nothing to comfort his boy. It was too much effort to open his eyes or to draw enough breath to talk.**

** His hearing wasn't ****as clear when Kozik and his girl entered the room. Their voices seemed tinny and distant, as if his hearing aid battery was growing weak.**

**'Dat's not possible; I put a fresh one in just before bed last night!' **

**He wasn't concerned about his hearing or much else by that time. Breathing was a mechanical thing for him and he was no longer aware of the overwhelming pain in his head. He felt like he was floating on water. He was calm and at peace, ready for whatever the next Life had in store for him. **

* * *

**"Doesn't look like there's a lot of people here," Alex remarked as Cat piloted the PT into Charming City Hall's parking lot. "There's no CPD cars, either. Figured Unser would wanna be here to plead his case."**

**"That's not good," Cat mused worriedly, pulling into a parking spot and turning ** **off the engine. "Hale's sure to use that as another reason to disband CPD."**

**"I don't get it, how in the Hell can the council terminate the local PD?"**

**"I'm not sure, love," Cat sighed. "It's probably somethin' in the town's by - laws. Like any move on the council's part, I suspect it's gotta be a majority thing."**

"**Maybe Hale doesn't have a majority behind him," Alex observed.**

"**Wishful thinkin', love. I doubt he'd go out on a limb to request an emergency ** **meeting like this if he didn't have the votes."**

**"Guess the only way we're gonna find out is to go inside," Alex pointed out.**

**Cat flashed an annoyed look at him as she climbed out of the car, but refrained from retorting with a caustic comment. 'He _is_ right, but he doesn't have to be so damn smug about it!'**

**They walked into the building and on into the city council room, which was the ** **only unlocked room. Cat stopped at the threshold to slide the dark insert into her ****glasses. There were a large number of television lights turned on, bathing the room in a brightness that made her eyes water.**

**"You a'right, baby?" Alex inquired softly, sliding his own sunglasses over his eyes. The lights annoyed him so he could only guess what it was doing to her.**

**"Just dandy. Not surprised the media's here. This is pretty big news no matter ** **how the vote goes."**

**"You'll sway 'em to the right way of thinkin', baby!" He replied staunchly.**

**Cat shook her head and took a seat ****towards the back of the room. It was a ** **strategic seating choice. She could hear all that transpired, it was close to the door in case either of them needed to slip out without drawing notice, and far away enough from the media that she wouldn't attract their attention until she wanted it. She'd spotted a news crew from Channel 2, which had been a deciding factor in her choice of seats. It wasn't until she sat down that she realized Windover wasn't the reporter covering the event for the station. **

**Alex nudged her arm and nodded towards the front. "Hale's struttin' around like ** **cock of the walk, baby," he advised her in a low voice.**

**She glanced towards the front of the room, where Hale was standing beside the ** **mayor. 'Well, Hell! Guess the council will have to hear from me after all!' She groaned inwardly. H****ale was positively beaming while the mayor looked like he'd just eaten a very sour lemon. "I've got a bad feelin' about this."**

**The council chambers wasn't full. There were a few members of the CBOA present, including Elliot Oswald. Alex was the only Son in attendance. A small number of homeowners were also present, but there were more empty seats than occupants.**

**Oswald rose from his seat to greet the couple as they settled in their chosen ** **seats. "Glad you made it, Cat. I was starting to get worried," he stated, shaking ** **hands with her before extending his hand to Tig.**

**The SAA glanced up at Oswald before accepting the other man's greeting. A ** **slight nudge in the ribs from his wife helped speed his response. "Been a ** **trying day for us."**

**"How's Lumpy?" Oswald inquired.**

**"Not good. They had him on some kinda ****machine to force air into him when we ** **left," Tig replied.**

**"A bi - pap," Cat offered. "Lumpy has a living will."**

**Oswald winced at the news. "Damn." He gazed at Tig and added, "I saw Unser ** **earlier, told him I'd personally seen proof that there's no beef between SAMCRO ** **and the Mayans. He realizes he's been looking in the wrong place for Lumpy's ** **attacker."**

**"Appreciate that," Tig replied gruffly.**

**"I'll say the same thing to the council," Oswald stated. "Didn't realize you'd be here, Trager. Might be better if you don't speak to the council, though."**

**"That sounds workable. It'll certainly bear a lot of weight with the council by hearing it ****from you," Cat replied, tightening her hold on Alex's arm in warning. "Did y'all try alerting Unser?"**

**Alex nodded slightly to indicate he got his wife's unspoken message. He really hadn't wanted to speak to the council at all. Having Oswald relate what he knew ** **about SAMCRO and the Mayans was a major relief to him. Now he could relax and act as a casual observer.**

**"I left a message. No one's seen him since he was at Hannah's Place earlier." Oswald replied. "Thought I'd try again before the meeting starts. It's not going to look good if he's not here to represent CPD."**

**"My thoughts exactly," Cat affirmed, watching as Oswald slipped out the door, ** **digging his cell out of his pocket.**

**"Thanks, baby." Alex murmured in her ear.**

**"Say no more, love. All part of the friendly service!" She whispered back.**

**The mayor and Hale parted ways to take their respective seats at the front of the council chambers. The mayor lifted the gavel and rapped it several times to signal a call to order.**

**Oswald slipped back inside, giving a slight shake of his head to Cat and Tig. He'd been unable to reach Unser.**

**'Damn!' Cat thought, tensing slightly in her chair.**

**The mayor explained the reason for the emergency meeting. Before he could ask ** **for a motion, Oswald stood up and demanded to be recognized.**

**"Yes, Elliot?"**

**"Mr. Mayor, I'd like to go on record that this meeting doesn't appear to meet the requirements set forth in the State's open door laws," Oswald stated.**

**"I agree!" Cat added from her own seat. "It's obvious given the small attendance here that there wasn't enough advance public notice!"**

**"That's where you're both wrong," Hale interjected smoothly. "The city attorney reviewed the dire need for this meeting in conjunction with that law. He approved the notice that ran on all the electronic media outlets and the auto dialer was activated. If the majority of the townspeople didn't choose to attend, that's not valid enough reason to postpone this meeting."**

**"I'm afraid Hale's right," the mayor added. ****"Much as this pains me to admit. However, we will make your objections a matter of record."**

**"Guess it'll have to do," Cat remarked glumly.**

**"Do I have an official motion to dissolve CPD in favor of law enforcement being ** **covered by San Joaquin County?"**

**Hale raised his hand and announced, "So moved!"**

**Croucher quickly raised his hand and called out, "Seconded!"**

**The mayor sighed and rapped the gavel once. "A motion has been moved and ** **seconded. I am now opening the floor to debate both for and against the measure."**

* * *

**Time passed and Lumpy's breathing grew more shallow. He was dimly aware that he ** **was not alone, but it didn't matter to him. He'd led a long, painful, and difficult life. Somehow he knew that wherever the drifting was taking him, it was going to be a far better place than he'd ever been before.**

**Voices came to him as if they were far away instead of right next to him. The voices were male, and arguing heatedly. He knew Tig and Kozik weren't the ones fighting as he continued to drift away from the sound. ****Eventually, the angry voices faded. ****Lumpy drew one last shallow breath and slipped away.**

**Kozik glanced from the attending physician to the monitors that were beeping and ringing with alarms. All the lines for heart rate and breathing were flat.**

** Ima's eyes glistened with tears as Kozik realized that Lumpy had just passed away.** '**He went out the way he wanted, without fanfare and a lot of heroic measures,'** **Kozik thought sadly. He turned his gaze upon the attending physician and growled, "Guess it doesn't matter now. He's gone."**

**The physician rushed to Lumpy's side to check for a pulse. No reassuring beat ** **met his questing fingers along the patient's neck or wrist. He sighed and announced the time of death, which he wrote in the chart he carried with him.** "**I suppose you're the closest thing to next of kin?" The doctor inquired dryly.**

"**Along with the Tragers, yeah. I guess so," Kozik stated, placing a comforting arm around Ima's shoulder.**

"**Due to the circumstances that led to his death, the county coroner will require** **an autopsy before the body is released. That will give you time to make arrangements with the funeral home of your choice," the doctor explained. "I'll ** **allow you a few moments with the deceased."**

"**He **_**does**_** have a name, you know!" Ima exploded.**

**The doctor shrugged and strode out the door, leaving the bi – pap machine running.**

"**Never mind, baby," Kozik murmured ****soothingly. "Some asshats can't help bein' ** **that way." It touched him that she cared so much for the loss of someone she never personally knew.**

"**He called Lumpy 'the deceased' and 'the body'! He never **_**once**_** referred to him** **by his name! Not even 'Mr. Feldstein'! That's so rude!" Ima sniffled, leaning** **her head against Kozik's side. "He didn't even turn off that damn machine!"**

**A nurse slipped inside the room as Ima spoke. "I'm so sorry for your loss," she** **stated sincerely to Kozik and Ima. "It's obvious he meant a great deal to the ** **two of you."**

"**Thanks," Kozik muttered uncomfortably. "Do ya need us to leave?"**

"**No. If it doesn't distress you, I'm just going to remove the IV and turn off the monitors and the bi – pap. You can stay as ****long as you wish," the nurse explained.**

"**Sure, go ahead," Kozik replied expansively. He helped Ima out of the chair and they moved to the other side of the room to allow the nurse space to work.**

**The nurse quickly and quietly turned off the flow of fluid in the IV, then removed the needle from Lumpy's arm, applying a piece of cotton to the small wound to prevent blood from welling out of it. **

**She held the cotton firmly against the small puncture wound while using the other hand to wind the tubing around the IV stand.** **Once the tubing was safely out of the way, the nurse used her free hand to remove the clip from Lumpy's finger and to turn off the monitors. **

**The silence in the room when the bi – pap machine and the monitors were turned off seemed deafening to Kozik and Ima. Ima rested her head against Kozik's shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her in a comforting, protective move. **

**The nurse watched them out of the corner of one eye while she checked under the piece of cotton. No blood welled from the puncture wound, the pressure had sealed it. She applied a bandaged to the small wound, just in case. **

"**The respiratory therapist will pick up the bi – pap machine," she informed the stricken couple. "If Mr. Feldstein had any personal effects with him, you're welcome to take them with you."**

"**How long do we have before ya have to move him?" Kozik asked hesitantly.**

"**There's no rush, sir," the nurse replied. "Take however long you need. Is there anything else I can do for you?"**

"**Could you answer a question for me?" Ima spoke up in a small voice.**

"**I'll try," the nurse encouraged her.**

"**Why was that doctor so rude? Doesn't he care that Lumpy died?"**

**The nurse nodded in an understanding manner at Ima. "Yes, he knew. He doesn't ** **intend to be rude; he considers Death a bitter rival. He takes it very personally when a patient dies, especially when that patient has a living will. That's why he tried so hard to get your boyfriend to agree to allow the so – called heroic measures."**

"**That's outrageous!" Ima cried.**

"**In some ways, yes," the nurse explained. "I'm not excusing him, mind you. Just explaining why he behaved the way he did. I'm sorry he upset you." The nurse waited another moment, then pushed the IV pole out into the hall where she could dispose of the unused fluid and equipment without causing the couple further distress.**

**Kozik pulled his cell phone from his jeans pocket. "I'd better call Tig and the attorney," he explained.**

**"Please don't leave," Ima requested softly.**

**"I won't. Now that the monitors are off, I can call from here," he assured her. **

**He sat down next to her and drew her against his side while pressing the necessary contact buttons to make his calls. ** **Tig's burner went straight to voice mail, as did his wife's. He did get through to Ally Lowen and gave her the sad news. "I couldn't reach Tig or Cat," he added.**

**"They're at a special city council meeting," Ally explained. "Hale's trying to shut down CPD. I'm on my way over there. Cat plans to hold a wake for Lumpy at her coffee house, something called '_shiva_'. She could use some help."**

**"Absolutely. She'll have it. Any idea who to contact about his arrangements?" **

**"I'll take care of that. There's an official Jewish group that handles this kind of thing. It's spelled out in Lumpy's paperwork. I'll keep you posted."**

**"Thanks, Ally." He closed the cellphone and slipped it into his pocket, then wiped his hand across his face. He felt an incredible sense of loss. "I'm gonna miss you, old man," he murmured.**

* * *

**Hale leapt to his feet to address the council the minute the mayor offered the floor to ** **debate. "This move has been needed for a long time. We all know that Chief Unser has been working for that outlaw gang for decades!" He announced.**

**"And everyone knows your family has been trying to get rid of the club for the same amount of time so you can fatten your bank account by selling land to the big box stores!" A voice cried from the audience.**

**The mayor rapped the gavel for order. Hale's face turned a bright shade of red ** **from the interruption and from the rush of rude laughter that came with it.**

**"Score one for the public!" Cat muttered.**

**"Shut up, baby! We don't wanna get thrown outta here for bein' disruptive!" Alex quietly warned.**

**"I will remind the public that I **_**will**_** give everyone who wants a chance to speak, ** **but there will be no calling out and interrupting other speakers! I will have ** **order or will cancel this meeting!" The mayor shouted.**

**The brief tumult quickly subsided. Hale scanned the room for the heckler, glaring darkly at Cat. The voice hadn't been hers, but he wouldn't have been surprised if she hadn't put the unseen heckler up to it. **

**"If I may be allowed to continue, Mr. Mayor?" He asked in a haughty manner.**

"**Mr. Hale currently has the floor," the mayor reluctantly intoned.**

"**As I was saying before that rude interruption, CPD has been a detriment to ** **public safety for far too long. Why, just in this last month, the downtown business ****district was besieged by a tense standoff between two gangs of felons outside a new business. A business that has now closed because the Sons scared the owner away!"**

"**Oh no, he didn't!" Cat muttered darkly, rising to her feet and waving to get the mayor's attention.**

**Ignoring Cat's gestures, Hale continued his heated tiradey, "Additionally, these same thugs caused the death of my brother from a drive by shooting set up by the same rival gang!" Hale cast his angry gaze around the council chambers, resting briefly on Tig and wrinkling his nose in disgust before moving his gaze to another part of the room. ** **"No decent person in Charming is safe as long as those thugs remain allowed to operate unchallenged! If you need more evidence of CPD's lack of due diligence ** **in protecting the town, take a look at what ****happened to Lumpy Feldstein! Unser ** **won't do a thing to challenge this so – called club; it's time for Charming to ** **stand up for itself!"**

**A ripple of hearty applause, led by Hale's toadie Croucher erupted. Though nosy, there weren't a lot of people visibly cheering Hale's words. Most of the council members appeared more uncomfortable of Hale's tirade than supportive of it.**

**Cat stormed to the microphone that had been placed in the audience and waited** **for the mayor to recognize her. Hale cast a smug look at her as he resumed his seat.**

**Tig felt him muscles tense. He trusted Cat implicitly. He also knew from her body language that she was on the warpath. He hoped his wife wasn't mad enough to let it slip that Hale was involved in Lumpy's assault after all.**

"**Ms. Marshall, you have the floor," the mayor announced.**

"**Thanks, Mr. Mayor. When it comes to objectivity, neither Mr. Hale nor I can ** **lay claim to cornerin' the market on it, especially where CPD and the Sons are concerned. In fact, it's pretty safe to say that we're **_**definitely**_** on opposite sides of the fence!"**

**The members of the audience and several of the council members smiled. The ** **tension caused by Hale's comments seemed a little less noticeable.**

"**It **_**was**_** unfortunate that Deputy Chief Hale was killed outside _Dubrowski's Funeral Home._ But to put the blame for that death solely at the feet of the Sons is like saying Lumpy deserved what happened to him because he wouldn't sell his property when he was 'asked' to do so," Cat stared straight at Hale as she spoke, gesturing air ****quotes when she said the word 'asked'. **

**She and Tig both watched for any kind of tell tale body language from Hale that would prove his complicity to them.** **Hale returned her stare with a smirk. He wasn't about to give anything away! He had to wonder if Cat Marshall was merely guessing at his involvement and playing a bluff or if she had some evidence she was holding back. 'There's nothing to connect me to that except Salazar's recording! He got what he wanted from me. Even if he wanted to double cross me, he wouldn't give SAMCRO the satisfaction! She's bluffing!'**

**'That bastard's pretty good at keepin' a poker face when he has to!' Cat fumed ** **inwardly. She drew a calming breath and continued, "As far as callin' people thugs, I have to wonder if the proverbial pot ain't ****callin' the kettle black. Thugs don't **_**always**_** wear leather vests and ride motorcycles. The clever ones hire someone else to do their dirty work for them."**

**Oswald sat forward in his seat, trying hard not to grin encouragingly at the business woman. There wasn't much that Hale could do or say as she wasn't being as specific as he had been.**

**Tig remained tense. 'Careful, baby! You're treadin' on very thin ice and I might not be able to pull your ass outta the water!' **

"**We've seen recent proof of that in the form of Ethan Zobelle. While Hale ** **described him as a business owner who was intimidated by the Sons, he turned out ** **to have very dirty paws of his own." Cat observed. **

**Her comment allowed Alex to relax. 'I shoulda known better!' **

"**I'm sure all y'all don't need to be reminded that Mr. Zobelle was picked up by our own Charming Police for possession of illegal narcotics. One of our local officers found an entire brick in Zobelle's store. A quantity that he openly admitted to the deputy chief to having hidden in his cigar store. He was also suspected by both the ** **chief and deputy chief of masterminding the brutal abduction and gang rape of ** **one of Charming's female citizens. He did these vile acts while masquerading as a Christian! In reality, Mr. Zobelle was passin' himself off as a shot caller in the ** **League of American Nationalists, a white supremacy group while working as a Federal informant! That's on record with CPD, by the way! That's why he left the country, not because he was scared off by the club!" ** **Cat paused a moment to let that news sink in to the council and the audience.**

** "As I proved during the peace rally, Zobelle ****attempted to 'influence' my hiring ** **practices to exclude non whites. I have no doubt he attempted to impose such ** **restrictions on other businesses."** **Cat stared haughtily at Hale and continued, "I don't need to remind the council and the community members in this chamber exactly **_**who**_** invited this paragon of virtue and his followers to our town. Zobelle didn't come here just to open a cigar emporium, but to bring racial tension to a boil in our neck of the redwood forest!"**

"**That's all very well and good, Mrs. Trager," Hale sneered. "But it has **_**nothing**_** to do with whether CPD is doing the job we pay them to do."**

"**If you mean that CPD didn't get rid of one particular group y'all don't like, then you're right, Mr. Hale. They **_**have**_** failed. But I think most everyone in this room will agree that runnin' the club out of town is **_**not **_**the **_**raison d'etre **_**of the local police department. It's to protect and serve **_**all**_** the citizens of Charming." ** **She glanced behind her at the few assembled townspeople and continued, ** **"Personally, I think they do a damn good job of it and should continue to do so! I don't know about all y'all, but the idea of havin' additional wait time for a sheriff's unit to respond from whatever part of the county they're comin' from isn't very appealin' to me!"**

**A louder ripple of agreement surged through the gallery. Several members of the council visibly agreed with her statement. It was one of the main factors ** **against turning local law enforcement over to CPD.**

**"Not necessarily, Mrs. Trager," Croucher smirked. "I have it on good authority from the San Joaquin Sheriff's Department that a ****satellite district would be established in Charming. Response times won't be adversely effected."**

**"Then it makes no sense, fiscal or otherwise, to get rid of CPD," Cat remarked. "If response times aren't going to be adversely affected, why pay to move ** **manpower and personnel here when we already have a perfectly good police force ** **in operation? CPD also has the advantage of having extensive knowledge of the ** **territory that the sheriff's department won't have."**

**"You haven't won this seat yet, Mrs. Trager, and there's no guarantee that you will!" Croucher snarled. "In the meantime, keep your opinions about our city's fiscal health to yourself!"**

**A murmur of disapproval swept through the chambers in response to Croucher's ** **remark. Tig was on his feet and moving to ****go to her defense.**

**Hale scrubbed his face with one hand, cringing at Trager's rapid approach to the ** **microphone. 'Damn it! I warned him not to mention that woman's intention to run for his seat tonight! He just **_**had **_**to go there! Now he's got that thug all wound up! Maybe I should've had a member of the sheriff's department here to keep the peace!"**

** He cringed while the mayor banged the gavel to restore order and reminded Croucher to wait his turn to speak.**

**Cat turned and motioned her husband back to his seat. Trager stared at her for a moment, then nodded and sauntered back to the chair he'd abruptly vacated.**

**Hale felt every muscle in his body go limp. He'd not asked anyone from SJSD to be ** **present at the meeting, fearing it would ****give the wrong impression in light of ** **Unser's absence. Given the short fuses on the community temperament, it ** **appeared he had made a wise decision after all, despite the presence of the one Son. ****'It sure looked hairy for a few ** **seconds, though!'**

**Elliot Oswald stood up and placed a hand on Cat's shoulder. "You did a good job, Cat. Now it's time for a few more of us to shoot some holes in Hale's plan!"**

**Cat nodded and limped back to her seat. As she neared the row where Alex was ** **sitting, the door opened to admit Ally Lowen. Cat thought the lawyer was there to speak on CPD's behalf. One look at her stricken expression and she knew why the lawyer was present.**

* * *

**The deeper he dug into the Liberty Street property sales, the sicker Unser felt. ** **All the former business owners had told him the same thing. It was clear that ** **they had been approached by a corporate suit, offering more than their properties were worth. Some of them immediately took the suit up on the offer. Those that didn't, including Lumpy, were offered much more. When a small contingent of the business owners still refused to sell, the corporate suit and the pleasantries were replaced by muscle and veiled threats. That was enough to make the remainder of ****the property owners to sell, leaving Lumpy as the sole hold out.**

**'He might've eventually decided to sell had this assault not happened,' Unser mused, scrubbing his face with one hand. 'I'm afraid to think what will happen when Zobelle finds out that Lumpy's going to rebuild!'**

**He knew that was only a matter of time. The assistant manager at Lumpy's gym ** **had informed him that Hale had come by while the insurance adjustor was ** **examining the premises. The adjustor hadn't answered any of Hale's questions, ** **but it wouldn't have been hard for Hale to figure out why the adjustor was there.**

**Unser asked the property owners that had received the first threats why they ** **hadn't filed a report with CPD. Each answer was the same. Their families had ** **been threatened if they talked to the police. ****None of them were willing to go on record as having been coerced into selling.**

**After interviewing the Liberty Street property holders, Unser had gone back to ** **Darby's house. He'd hoped the former gang leader would be willing to co – ** **operate with him. Unser shared everything he'd learned about the Liberty Street ** **situation with Darby.**

**"Call me a coward or anything else ya wanna call me," Darby stated. "If Zobelle's involved, I'm stayin' outta it. Unless ya can prove I was there, that is."**

**"There _is_ surveillance video of you talking to Lumpy," Unser replied.**

**"Video, but no audio. For all you know, he and I were discussin' the weather!" Darby remarked. "Sorry, Chief. Much as the old Jew once meant to me, it's not worth the remainder of my skin to cross Zobelle."**

**"He's in Hungary, for Christ's sake!"**

**"I don't care if he's in the next solar system!" Darby thundered. "That fucktard has a long reach, and I'd just as soon stay out of it!" He ended the discussion by slamming the door in Unser's face.**

**The police chief walked dejectedly back to his patrol car and drove back to the ** **police station. He entered through the back entrance where none of the evening ** **shift would notice him. He slipped into his office and closed the door behind him.**

**The message light on his desk phone was blinking rapidly. He ignored it and slumped tiredly onto the leather couch. He was too depressed and upset to bother with any messages. He'd run into a solid brick wall and it hurt. He knew who was responsible for attacking Lumpy, but had no evidence to prove it. Jacob Hale would never serve ****a second for his crime, and was likely to win the mayor's office.**

**'He's already lost my support. By God, I'm going to do whatever I can to prevent him from running this town into the ground!' He thought vehemently.**

**Unser dug out his cell phone and dialed the number to the nurse's station on Lumpy's floor. He had intended to check on the old man's condition earlier, but had gotten sidetracked by the Liberty Street investigation.**

**"This is Chief Unser. How's Mr. Feldstein?" He asked when the nurse answered.** **His inquiry was met with a brief silence. **

**Finally the nurse replied in a quiet manner, "I'm sorry, Chief. Mr. Feldstein died just a few minutes ago. We won't have an official cause of death until the autopsy is completed. He had internal injuries to the brain that may have ****been the cause of death."**

**"Shit!" Unser sighed. "Was he alone?"**

**"No sir. A member of that motorcycle club and his girlfriend were present."**

**'It wasn't Tig and Cat, everyone knows they're married!' Unser thought. "Sounds ** **like Kozik. Didn't know he had a girlfriend. Guess it doesn't matter," he murmured to the nurse, shock at the news made him think aloud to the patient caregiver. "Thanks."**

**He turned off his phone and stretched out on the sofa, too exhausted and sad to try to make the short trip to his empty house. He'd just nap awhile until he had enough energy to go home and take his cancer prescription cocktail.**

* * *

**Cat nodded slightly towards the door behind Ally then turned to meet her husband's inquisitive gaze. He started to get up but stopped at her gesture. "I'll be ** **back, love. Gotta visit the little girl's room," she murmured.**

**She followed the lawyer out into the hallway before Alex could respond. "Follow me," she stated, limping off in the direction of the women's lounge.**

"**Where are we going?"**

"**The women's room. Alex has been stickin' to my side since we left the hospital out ** **of fear that Salazar will try somethin'. He won't follow me into the women's room."**

"**You hope," Ally remarked, a hint of color rising to her pale features.**

"**He'd better not!" Cat grinned, slipping inside the women's lounge. "From the ** **look on your face, I take it Lumpy died."**

"**Yes, Kozik called me with the news just a few minutes ago. He said Lumpy never ** **regained consciousness," Ally explained.**

**Cat dug her iPhone out of her pocket as Ally was speaking. Sure enough, there ** **was a voice message waiting for her. "I imagine he called Tig as well."**

"**Then he knows."**

"**Not necessarily. I had him turn off the burner for the meeting. Didn't want it goin' off and infuriatin' anyone," Cat replied. "I want to keep it that way for a bit. Can y'all do me a favor?"**

"**Depends on what it is," Ally remarked with a touch of her usual humor.**

"**Here's my key to the car. Tig never brought his duffel back from the clubhouse. Would y'all mind retrievin' it and storin' it in my car? It's the black PT in the parkin' lot."**

"**Are you planning to shanghai Tig for the night?" Ally grinned.**

"**You got that right," Cat assured her. "I made an out of town reservation for tonight, just in case. Made it a nice, restful place for him to mourn."**

**Ally stared in surprise at the woman. 'I doubt I would've thought of something ** **like that for my husband in such a situation!' She accepted the keys and nodded assent. "It shouldn't take too long. Do you want a bag of necessities for ** **yourself?"**

"**If it won't be too much trouble," Cat laughed while handing over the house key.**

"**If I'm running after a bag for your other half, might as well get you a change of clothes too."**

"**Just be careful when you go into the house; the large black cat is an escape ** **artist." She shared with the lawyer where to find the kitty treats and how to divert Ebony's attention from the door. **

"**Thanks for the warning. I shouldn't be too long."**

"**Not like we can go anywhere," Cat remarked.**

"**That's true." Ally sobered as she added, "I called in the ad to the paper, it'll be in the morning and afternoon papers. The funeral should be tomorrow afternoon, so I made the wake for tomorrow night."**

"**Good. According to tradition, it should be right after the funeral, so that works. ****I'll call my employees and let 'em know what to expect."** **Cat further surprised Ally by giving her a swift hug. "I know it hurts to lose Lumpy, but he's not hurtin' anymore, and he's at peace. He's probably havin' the time of his Afterlife now."**

**Ally returned the hug, choking back her tears as she remarked, "You're probably ** **right about that. I'll be back shortly."** **She slipped out the door of the women's room and walked down the deserted hall ** **to the parking lot. She heard one of the few business owners in attendance speaking to the council on behalf of CPD.** "**Maybe I'll step in and say a few words when I get back," she murmured to herself as she slid behind the steering wheel of her car.**

**Cat didn't have to listen to her message from Kozik. She pulled up her contacts and called Pete, who she could rely on to call the other employees for her.**

"**What's going on Miss Cat?" Pete greeted when he answered the phone.**

"**Quite a bit, darlin'. Lumpy Feldstein died this evenin', we're going to host a wake at the coffeehouse tomorrow night. Can y'all call the rest of the staff and get things runnin'? I'm takin' Tig out of town for the night."**

"**Sure thing. Are you at the city council meeting?"**

"**Yup. Hale really sneaked that one in over the plate disguised as a slow ball."**

"**So I noticed. Think he'll get his way?"**

"**I really don't know, darlin'. I always prepare for the worse and get surprised ** **by the best. If anything happens, call my phone. I'll check for messages periodically."**

"**Knowing Mr. Tig, you won't get much of a chance!" Pete remarked with a cheery laugh.**

"**You're probably right, darlin'. Talk to y'all later. Thanks for handlin' this."** "**Always, boss."**

* * *

**Ally took time before leaving the city hall ****parking lot to locate Cat's black PT. That would make it easier for her to find it and load the bags when she returned. Not that the magnetic sign on the side with the **_**'Charming Pawse**_**' logo on it wouldn't have made the vehicle more noticeable in the first place. Ally liked being prepared. **

**She drove to the clubhouse to retrieve Tig's duffel. There was no sign of Piney's trike, but the long line of parked motorcycles stood as a reminder that most of the patched members were in Belfast. She hadn't heard anything since the club had arrived. 'I hope everything's going well and they find find Abel soon!'**

**Technically, she wasn't supposed to know the club had left the country. None of ** **them had told her, but it wasn't hard for her to guess the reason Tig had gone on a high speed desert run with the tow truck. Nor did she have to think hard as to why the ****other patched members had been so scarce in town lately.**

**She parked the car and walked into the clubhouse, preparing herself for whatever ** **raucous behavior she might find. The clubhouse was rather peaceful. A few ** **Croweaters were sitting at a table talking and drinking beer. The two prospects ** **were shooting pool and showing off for the Croweaters.**

**"Hey, Ms. Lowen!" One of the Croweaters called out in greeting. "What's up?"**

**"Nothing much," she replied. "I came out to retrieve Tig's duffel."**

**"Haven't seen it myself. Maybe Chuckie knows where it is." The Croweater turned in her chair and called, "Hey, Chuckie! C'mere!" **

**Chuckie raced out of the kitchen where he'd been cleaning the days ** **drink glasses, coffee cups, and other dishware. He was wearing an apron around his waist and he wiped his soapy, wet plastic hands on the apron as he stopped in front of Ally.** **"Hi, Ms. Lowen. What's can I do for you?"**

**"Just came by to pick up Tig's duffel. Cat's planning to take him out of town tonight; Lumpy died earlier tonight." **

**Chuckie hung his head for a moment. "I don't accept that, but I'm glad Cat's gonna take care of him. I'll be right back!"**

** He dashed off to the locker room, returning with the bag. He handed it over to the lawyer and added, "Is there going to be a service?"**

**Ally smiled at the club's mascot. "Yes, and a wake at Cat's coffeehouse after the funeral. You'll find the details in the morning paper. Thanks, Chuckie." **

**"Anytime, Ms. Lowen!" He raced back to the kitchen as Ally exited the clubhouse. She drove the short distance to the Trager's home behind **_**'Charming Pawse'.**_** She'd been to the coffeehouse many times, but never to the Trager's home.**

**A welcoming light shone from the front window, where a small one - eyed black ** **cat sat on the sill. The feline jumped from the window and hid under the sofa as Ally walked up to the front porch. 'Obviously knows I'm not her human,' she mused with a slight smile.**

**She slid the key into the lock and opened the door just a bit to make sure the large black cat wasn't stalking the door. She ****slipped inside and closed the door behind her just as Ebony rushed the door. She laughed and bent to stroke the frustrated feline's back.**

** "Sorry, big boy! Your owner warned me about you!" **

**The cat huffed and walked away from Ally, his tail held straight up in the air. She laughed and walked down the hallway to the master bedroom.**

**It didn't take her long to find Cat's underwear drawer, and to pack a small bag ** **of necessities for her. Then she carried the bag out to the front door to find Ebony sitting in wait at the front door. ** **"You're not going to give up, are you?" She remarked to the cat. **

**"Merow!" The large black feline replied, dropping into a crouch and swishing his ** **tail along the rug in anticipation of making an escape. **

**Ally didn't lose many battles, and wasn't intending to lose this one. She walked into the kitchen, drew out a handful and carried it back to the front door. 'I hope this works!' **

**Ebony and Ming's ears twitched forward when they heard the rustle of the ** **treats in Ally's hand. They watched with unblinking eyes as she approached the ** **door. ** "**Here you go, you little beggars!" She exclaimed, tossing the treats towards the ** **hall.**

** The two felines scampered after the handful of kibble.** **While Ebony and Ming munched contentedly, Ally made her escape out the front door, shutting it with a triumphant laugh and locking it with the key. **

**She ** **tossed the bag into her car and looked towards the window where the large black ** **cat was sitting on the sill, glaring balefully at her. ** **She laughed and waved at the black cat before starting the car and backing it ** **from the driveway. **

**'That wasn't so hard!' She observed, though she knew it ** **would've been more difficult to get out the door if she hadn't used the kibble ** **distraction.**

**Ally parked her car near Cat's PT and loaded the two overnight bags in the ** **hatchback. Then she walked into the building hoping the meeting hadn't ended.**

* * *

**Cat smiled at her employee's quick wit and ****shoved the iPhone back into her pocket. She knew Pete would handle things for her, and the employees would discuss the wake and how to set up for it without her having to oversee them.**

**She was still smiling when she walked out of the women's lounge straight into her husband's arms. "Jesus Christ! Y'all nearly scared the daylights out of me!" Cat yelped. **

"**You were gone a long time. I was worried ya might've keeled over on the throne or somethin'," Alex explained, tightening his embrace. Any chance he had to hold her was not to be passed up, and he took advantage of this particular opportunity. **

"**There y'all go again with the dirty mind!" She laughed and laid her head against his chest. "Sorry to disappoint y'all, love. I'm just fine."**

"**Can't blame a guy for tryin'," Alex grinned. **

**She indicated the council chamber behind them and asked, "How's everything goin' ** **in there?" **

"**Townspeople are still talkin' to the council on behalf of CPD," he replied, leading her back to the council chambers. "You sure you're a'right?" His eyes traveled all over her body, but not in his usual leering gaze that meant he was mentally undressing her. He was looking for any signs of stress or strain. **

"**Yes, love. I'm OK. Thanks for carin' enough to check on me," she assured him ** **before they entered the council chamber.**

** Floyd, the barber and a friend of the club, was telling the council members why he was against changing administration ** **of local law enforcement. **

"**Floyd's really givin' 'em Hell," Cat ****observed quietly. **

"**Yeah. Doesn't seem to be doin' much good, though. Look at Hale," Alex replied.**

**Hale was sitting at his place, giving the appearance of listening closely to Floyd. Cat could easily see that it was a façade. "He looks like the cat that ate the canary!" She muttered darkly. **

"**True dat. But ya gave it your best shot, baby. I really liked the way ya threw Lumpy's injury in his face without revealin' that ya knew he was responsible." Alex squeezed her knee affectionately.**

"**Unfortunately, he didn't take the bait," she grumbled. **

"**But he knows you know, and that means SAMCRO knows. He'll be watchin' his back ** **for awhile." Alex assured her.**

**Ally Lowen slipped into the council chamber, giving Cat a slight nod to indicate ** **she'd completed the mission. The lawyer walked up to the microphone to address ** **the council. **

"**Charming needs it own police department," the lawyer announced when the mayor recognized her. "We have had our own police force for years, and it has served us all well. CPD knows us and we know them. It's a part of our community pride that we have our own police force. Not a town marshal, but a chief and ** **officers who respond to the calls, whether the crime be as small as petty theft ** **to murder. To take CPD away is to take away a part of our town's identity. To ** **borrow a quote from classic literature, 'don't do what is good for the one, but ** **for the many.' Do not close CPD."**

**Ally turned from the microphone and walked back to the aisle where Cat and Alex were sitting. She said down next to Cat and slid her car and house keys into ** **her pocket. **

"**Everyone has spoken eloquently about keeping CPD as it is," Hale announced. ** "**But we haven't heard a word from the police chief. If keeping Charming Police ** **a viable force in the community is so important, why isn't he here to tell us ** **so?"**

"**Maybe he's out doing his job!" One of the townspeople called out. **

"**That's what he has uniformed officers to do," Croucher replied snidely. "If the future of his own department was so important, the police chief should've made an effort to speak to us about it, wouldn't you agree?"**

"**No!" Cat cried. "It gives me a more secure feelin' that he's out doin' cop stuff instead of strokin' a bunch of overinflated egos!"**

"**Enough!" Hale roared. His face was as red as a beet. "This debate is over!" **

"**Point of order, Jacob. That's my line," the mayor smiled dryly. "It **_**does **_**appear that everyone that wants to has had an opportunity to speak."**

"**Then I move that we vote on the matter!" Hale exclaimed. **

"**Second!" Croucher yelped.**

"**It has been moved and seconded to put the matter to a vote. We will do this by ** **paper ballot. You will write your vote and sign your name to it, and pass it to my administrative assistant. A majority vote will be required to either keep CPD in place or close it down." **

**Cat bristled initially at the paper ballot, but realized it was the best way to handle it. "This could be a good sign for CPD," she murmured. **

"**How so?" Alex inquired.**

"**A private vote puts less pressure on anyone that wants to vote against Hale. A ** **voice/raised hands vote means Hale would know who didn't vote his way."**

**Alex nodded. "I get your drift, but dunno it's a good sign for CPD, baby. It comes down to Hale not stickin' his neck out unless he knew he was gonna win in ** **the long run."**

"**I know, love. But a girl can hope!" **


End file.
